Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers
Also called: Cable Splicer, Combination Technician (Combination Tech), I and R Technician (Installation and Repair Technician), InstallerInstall and repair telecommunications cable, including fiber optics.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 19 rated tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 3.4% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.8 hires for every 10 job openings in information, which employs about 63% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $60,890 | $49,070 to $75,080 | 1,530 |
| Alaska | $97,450 | $71,740 to $100,420 | 390 |
| Arizona | $58,600 | $49,280 to $64,870 | 790 |
| Arkansas | $60,840 | $46,140 to $91,260 | 1,690 |
| California | $97,980 | $81,130 to $102,540 | 8,810 |
| Colorado | $66,020 | $51,420 to $84,710 | 1,630 |
| Connecticut | $97,140 | $81,650 to $100,950 | 500 |
| Delaware | $93,850 | $60,610 to $98,140 | 310 |
| District of Columbia | $97,600 | $80,070 to $98,740 | 500 |
| Florida | $61,740 | $48,690 to $74,380 | 5,760 |
| Georgia | $58,760 | $47,670 to $73,960 | 3,530 |
| Guam | $30,770 | $30,770 to $38,830 | 50 |
| Hawaii | $79,880 | $67,510 to $97,210 | 680 |
| Idaho | $56,340 | $50,770 to $59,780 | 300 |
| Illinois | $70,700 | $49,310 to $94,320 | 2,460 |
| Indiana | $58,920 | $48,060 to $74,350 | 1,580 |
| Iowa | $60,890 | $47,740 to $73,920 | 820 |
| Kansas | $63,560 | $51,370 to $79,310 | 530 |
| Kentucky | $64,010 | $49,930 to $76,750 | 1,870 |
| Louisiana | $48,770 | $44,740 to $64,870 | 960 |
| Maine | $92,120 | $80,330 to $95,370 | 680 |
| Maryland | $82,380 | $62,450 to $96,150 | 2,400 |
| Massachusetts | $103,410 | $78,800 to $106,610 | 2,230 |
| Michigan | $74,360 | $59,120 to $79,330 | 2,780 |
| Minnesota | $73,710 | $58,830 to $88,560 | 1,130 |
| Mississippi | $49,360 | $35,500 to $65,960 | 700 |
| Missouri | $59,080 | $48,290 to $79,170 | 2,710 |
| Montana | $75,720 | $58,190 to $78,260 | 530 |
| Nebraska | $50,070 | $46,540 to $63,320 | 390 |
| Nevada | $72,230 | $53,290 to $92,390 | 730 |
| New Hampshire | $86,370 | $65,380 to $96,870 | 540 |
| New Jersey | $102,090 | $95,400 to $103,650 | 2,540 |
| New Mexico | $58,130 | $48,450 to $72,980 | 350 |
| New York | $100,960 | $65,590 to $109,220 | 8,530 |
| North Carolina | $56,680 | $46,880 to $73,650 | 2,610 |
| North Dakota | $59,280 | $46,900 to $94,300 | 300 |
| Ohio | $62,860 | $51,110 to $77,170 | 3,920 |
| Oklahoma | $48,900 | $38,390 to $76,730 | 1,410 |
| Oregon | $60,330 | $54,320 to $74,670 | 920 |
| Pennsylvania | $81,020 | $55,630 to $97,940 | 3,890 |
| Puerto Rico | $31,770 | $25,580 to $37,590 | 1,010 |
| Rhode Island | $103,810 | $96,250 to $104,270 | 490 |
| South Carolina | $59,790 | $48,380 to $74,920 | 1,310 |
| South Dakota | $49,560 | $39,140 to $63,260 | 590 |
| Tennessee | $63,510 | $49,720 to $73,950 | 2,620 |
| Texas | $75,740 | $58,930 to $96,050 | 9,700 |
| Utah | $60,090 | $45,860 to $73,150 | 800 |
| Vermont | $61,970 | $51,450 to $78,630 | 310 |
| Virginia | $79,090 | $57,310 to $96,830 | 4,120 |
| Washington | $76,070 | $58,570 to $95,800 | 1,510 |
| West Virginia | $89,690 | $71,820 to $92,120 | 1,270 |
| Wisconsin | $63,560 | $50,440 to $76,010 | 950 |
| Wyoming | $63,660 | $45,000 to $74,230 | 160 |
Nationally: $74,330. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 19 rated tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Splice cables, using hand tools, epoxy, or mechanical equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean or maintain tools or test equipment. | Not published |
| AI + software | Inspect or test lines or cables, recording and analyzing test results, to assess transmission characteristics and locate faults or malfunctions. | Not published |
| Not much | 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. | Not published |
| Not much | Lay underground cable directly in trenches, or string it through conduits running through trenches. | Not published |
| Not rated | Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment, such as digital subscriber line modems. | Not published |
See all 20 tasks
| Not much | Travel to customers' premises to install, maintain, or repair audio and visual electronic reception equipment or accessories. | Not published |
| Not much | Pull cable through ducts by hand or with winches. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure signal strength at utility poles, using electronic test equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Pull up cable by hand from large reels mounted on trucks. | Not published |
| Not much | Dig trenches for underground wires or cables. | Not published |
| Not much | String cables between structures and lines from poles, towers, or trenches, and pull lines to proper tension. | Not published |
| Not much | Place insulation over conductors, or seal splices with moisture-proof covering. | Not published |
| Not much | Compute impedance of wires from poles to houses to determine additional resistance needed for reducing signals to desired levels. | Not published |
| Not much | Explain cable service to subscribers after installation, and collect any installation fees due. | Not published |
| Not much | Use a variety of construction equipment to complete installations, such as digger derricks, trenchers, or cable plows. | Not published |
| Not much | Install equipment such as amplifiers or repeaters to maintain the strength of communications transmissions. | Not published |
| Not much | Fill and tamp holes, using cement, earth, and tamping devices. | Not published |
| Not much | Dig holes for power poles, using power augers or shovels, set poles in place with cranes, and hoist poles upright, using winches. | Not published |
| Not much | Participate in the construction or removal of telecommunication towers or associated support structures. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 20 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 20 tasks fall under 19 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #7 Explain technical details of products or services
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connect components or supply lines to equipment or tools | |||
| Perform general construction or extraction activities | |||
| Test performance of equipment or systems | |||
| Build structures | |||
| Install commercial or production equipment | |||
| Explain technical details of products or services | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Analyze performance of systems or equipment |
Show all 19 activities
| Determine resource needs of projects or operations | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Dispose of waste or debris | |||
| Disassemble equipment | |||
| Operate transportation equipment or vehicles | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Collect fares or payments | |||
| Climb equipment or structures | |||
| Operate lifting or moving equipment |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for telecommunications line installers and repairers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 21,089 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 2 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General Low +4.2% 5%
- 3 Computer User Support Specialists Very high -3.5% 4%
- 4 Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers High -3.3% 4%
- 5 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 16,138 moves in
- 1 Computer User Support Specialists Very high -3.5% 5%
- 2 Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers High -3.3% 4%
- 3 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General Low +4.2% 4%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 6% less than high school
- 40% high school
- 31% some college
- 12% associate's
- 10% bachelor's
- 2% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 1,037 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
1 program: Communications Systems Installation and Repair Technology/Technician.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 5 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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