Install, set up, rearrange, or remove switching, distribution, routing, and dialing equipment used in central offices or headends. Service or repair telephone, cable television, Internet, and other communications equipment on customers' property. May install communications equipment or communications wiring in buildings.
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Licensing, certifications and working conditions
State licensing. Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers is licensed or registered in 1 of 57 states and territories, as reported by each state to CareerOneStop. A license often applies only to certain roles within a career, and records were last updated between 2010 and 2024, so confirm requirements with the state licensing board.
Certifications. CareerOneStop directly links 20 professional certifications to Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers. 8 of them are in CareerOneStop's "Core" group, for example: BICSI Installer 1, BICSI Technician, Cable Splicing Certification, Inside Electrical Craft Certification, Line and Antenna Sweeping (LAS). Certifications are voluntary credentials offered by the organizations named; listing one is not an endorsement.
Working conditions. Shares of workers who interact with the general public (99.1%), and are exposed to the outdoors (over 75%). From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Requirements Survey (2023 estimates); figures describe the occupation on average.
Sources: CareerOneStop (licenses and certifications), part of the CareerOneStop suite of web products, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (working conditions, wages). MajorPays has reorganized this information; these agencies have not approved or endorsed it. See it interactively, with state-by-state detail →
More data on this career
Where the jobs are, and what they pay by industry. Nationwide, the industries that employ the most telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers are Telecommunications (66% of the jobs counted, median pay $67,610), Building Equipment Contractors (13% of the jobs counted, median pay $60,510), Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4% of the jobs counted, median pay $55,950), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (4% of the jobs counted, median pay $63,530) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Among large industries, the highest median pay is in Telecommunications ($67,610), Computer Systems Design and Related Services ($63,530), Building Equipment Contractors ($60,510). Pay differs by industry for many reasons, including the mix of jobs and where employers are located.
Injury and illness rates. For telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers, employers reported 167.6 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 31 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.
Union membership. In the broad group "Installation, maintenance, and repair", which includes this career, 12.5% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $1,571 for union members and $1,140 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers.
Employer benefits. In the broad group "Natural resources, construction, and maintenance", which includes this career, 74% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 79% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 78% had paid sick leave, 86% paid vacation and 89% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $48.59 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Natural resources, construction, and maintenance" in June 2026 ($32.96 in wages and salaries and $15.63 in benefits, 32.2% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).
Work environment. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, the conditions most often placed at the two highest levels for telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers are: face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams (100%), telephone conversations (92%), contact with others (92%), freedom to make decisions (91%), determine tasks, priorities and goals (91%), deal with external customers or the public in general (90%). Each percentage is the share of respondents choosing the top two levels for that condition (for example 'most of the time' or 'continually'), so it describes how common the condition is in the job, not how a particular workplace is (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Typical preparation. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, for related work experience, the most common answer (43% of 21 respondents) was "none"; for on-site or in-plant training, the most common answer (32% of 21 respondents) was "over 6 months, up to and including 1 year". These are what workers report is needed to do the job; employers' requirements and individual paths vary (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers in the work done and the skills used: Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers, Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers, Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment, Telecommunications Engineering Specialists, Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers, Power Distributors and Dispatchers, Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment, Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairers (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Pay by state. See what telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers earn in each state, with the pay range and number of jobs: Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers salary by state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025).
Compare telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →