Installation, Maintenance, and Repair · Holland code RC

Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers

Install and repair telecommunications cable, including fiber optics.

Also called: Cable Splicer, Combination Technician (Combination Tech), I and R Technician (Installation and Repair Technician), Installer, Cable Tech (Cable Technician), Cable TV Tech (Cable Television Technician), Fiber Optic Splicer, Field Service Technician.

O*NET 49-9052.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $74,330; Middle half earn $54,310 to $95,850. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Splice cables, using hand tools, epoxy, or mechanical equipment.
Inspect or test lines or cables, recording and analyzing test results, to assess transmission characteristics and locate faults or malfunctions.
Clean or maintain tools or test equipment.
Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment, such as digital subscriber line modems.
Travel to customers' premises to install, maintain, or repair audio and visual electronic reception equipment or accessories.
Access specific areas to string lines, or install terminal boxes, auxiliary equipment, or appliances, using bucket trucks, climbing poles or ladders, or entering tunnels, trenches, or crawl spaces.
Measure signal strength at utility poles, using electronic test equipment.
Place insulation over conductors, or seal splices with moisture-proof covering.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Speaking3.1 / 5
Critical Thinking3.1 / 5
Monitoring3.1 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.0 / 5
Active Listening3.0 / 5
Active Learning2.6 / 5

Knowledge areas

Telecommunications4.4 / 5
Customer and Personal Service4.2 / 5
Engineering and Technology4.0 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.9 / 5
Public Safety and Security3.9 / 5
Building and Construction3.7 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic91
Investigative25
Artistic0
Social10
Enterprising17
Conventional53

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

telecommunications engineer · DE Telekommunikationsingenieur/Telekommunikationsingenieurin · FR ingénieur de télécommunications/ingénieure de télécommunications
electrical transmission system operator · DE Steuerer Stromversorgung/Steuerin Stromversorgung · FR conducteur/conductrice de systèmes de transmission d’électricité
telecommunications engineering technician · DE Maschinenbautechniker im Bereich Telekommunikation/Maschinenbautechnikerin im Bereich Telekommunikation · FR technicien en télécommunications/technicienne en télécommunications
cable jointer · DE Kabelmonteur/Kabelmonteurin · FR installateur de câbles/installatrice de câbles
overhead line worker · DE Freileitungstechniker/Freileitungstechnikerin · FR monteur de lignes aériennes/monteuse de lignes aériennes
communication infrastructure maintainer · DE Servicetechniker für Kommunikationsinfrastrukturen/Servicetechnikerin für Kommunikationsinfrastrukturen · FR agent de maintenance des infrastructures de télécommunications/agente de maintenance des infrastructures de télécommunications

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Telecoms and related network installers and repairers (5242)36,900 employed
Computer system and equipment installers and servicers (5244)41,000 employed
TV, video and audio servicers and repairers (5243)7,300 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Craft and related trades workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,086
Germany	€38,638
Austria	€38,194
Sweden	€37,856
Netherlands	€37,077
Ireland	€36,098
France	€27,145
Italy	€26,488
Spain	€22,817
Portugal	€11,142
Poland	€10,099

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.08. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (49-9052).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test