What Does a Telecommunications Technician Assistant Do?
A telecommunications technician assistant works under a senior technician installing and repairing phone lines, data cabling and network equipment in offices, homes, data centers and outdoor cabinets. Much of the job is pulling cable through ceilings and conduit, terminating and labeling connections, mounting racks and patch panels, and running tests while the lead tech troubleshoots. Assistants carry gear, set up ladders and traffic cones, and keep records of what was installed where. It is the usual way into the trade and the step before taking service calls alone.
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Broadband Technician, Central Office Technician, Combination Technician, Customer Service Technician (CST), Field Technician, Install and Repair Technician, Installer, Outside Plant Technician.
Telecommunications Technician Assistant Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a telecommunications technician assistant include:
- Pull copper and fiber cable through ceilings, walls, conduit and cable trays, following the run sheet and keeping bends within limits.
- Terminate cable on jacks, patch panels and punchdown blocks, matching the wire color code exactly.
- Label both ends of every cable and update the as-built drawings or spreadsheet for the job.
- Test lines with continuity testers, toner probes and cable certifiers, and record the results for the lead technician.
- Mount racks, wall cabinets, wireless access points and phone equipment, and dress cables neatly with ties and wraps.
- Help locate faults on existing circuits by tracing wires and swapping suspect components under direction.
- Climb ladders and work in telecom rooms, crawl spaces and, on some crews, manholes and cable vaults with the proper safety setup.
- Load the truck with the right cable, connectors and tools, and track materials used on each job.
- Clean up wire scraps and ceiling debris and leave the customer's site the way it was found.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a telecommunications technician assistant, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Cable termination and punchdown technique on copper, plus basic fiber handling
- Use of hand tools such as cable cutters, splicer knives, punchdown tools and diagonal-cutting pliers
- Reading cable color codes, wiring diagrams and basic floor plans
- Safe ladder and lift use, and awareness of electrical hazards in shared spaces
- Basic networking concepts, enough to understand what a switch, router or VoIP phone needs to work
- Steady record keeping for labels, test results and materials
- A valid driver's license with a clean record, which most employers require for crew trucks
- Clear, polite updates to building managers and customers while working in occupied spaces
Education and Training
Most assistants come in with a high school diploma or GED, which about 43 percent of workers in this occupation report, and learn on the job under experienced technicians. About 21 percent hold a post-secondary certificate, often from a community college or trade school program in telecommunications, electronics or low-voltage cabling. Many employers like to see OSHA 10-hour safety training, and industry certifications in structured cabling or fiber optics, along with CompTIA Network+, help you move up to technician. Some states license low-voltage work, and that license is usually held by the employer or lead tech. After a period of supervised work, assistants start handling jobs on their own.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $51,830 - $81,690 per year, with a median of $63,890.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers.
BLS projects employment of telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers to decline about 3 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,300 openings a year. Demand for telecommunications technicians is supported by 5G network expansion, fiber-to-the-home installations, and growing data infrastructure needs. Assistants can advance to full technician, network technician, or systems administrator roles.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers.
Telecommunications Technician Assistant Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $44,240 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $51,830 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $63,890 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $81,690 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $96,730 |
Highest-Paying States for Telecommunications Technician Assistants
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Alaska ($95,850), North Dakota ($90,890), New Hampshire ($85,240), Vermont ($81,800), Louisiana ($80,210). Pay is lowest in Missouri ($57,610), Oklahoma ($50,350), Arkansas ($49,740).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $59,770 |
| Alaska | $95,850 |
| Arizona | $72,710 |
| Arkansas | $49,740 |
| California | $76,630 |
| Colorado | $76,410 |
| Connecticut | $75,200 |
| Delaware | $66,670 |
| District of Columbia | $73,130 |
| Florida | $61,030 |
| Georgia | $64,900 |
| Hawaii | $79,250 |
| Idaho | $62,440 |
| Illinois | $64,630 |
| Indiana | $61,030 |
| Iowa | $65,710 |
| Kansas | $58,690 |
| Kentucky | $59,700 |
| Louisiana | $80,210 |
| Maine | $61,720 |
| Maryland | $63,050 |
| Massachusetts | $76,500 |
| Michigan | $61,700 |
| Minnesota | $75,150 |
| Mississippi | $61,250 |
| Missouri | $57,610 |
| Montana | $73,970 |
| Nebraska | $60,520 |
| Nevada | $62,800 |
| New Hampshire | $85,240 |
| New Jersey | $78,000 |
| New Mexico | $63,600 |
| New York | $67,710 |
| North Carolina | $63,970 |
| North Dakota | $90,890 |
| Ohio | $61,680 |
| Oklahoma | $50,350 |
| Oregon | $75,270 |
| Pennsylvania | $64,960 |
| Rhode Island | $66,960 |
| South Carolina | $61,480 |
| South Dakota | $62,000 |
| Tennessee | $61,220 |
| Texas | $59,370 |
| Utah | $65,650 |
| Vermont | $81,800 |
| Virginia | $61,340 |
| Washington | $77,610 |
| West Virginia | $63,560 |
| Wisconsin | $60,770 |
| Wyoming | $60,250 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 79% use their hands on tools, objects or controls for more than half the day
- 79% are on the phone every day
- 79% use email every day
- 79% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 66% work outdoors in all kinds of weather every day
- 66% wear safety gear such as gloves, safety glasses or a hard hat every day
- 63% spend more than half the workday on their feet
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| High school diploma or GED | 43% |
| Post-secondary certificate | 21% |
| Some college | 10% |
| Associate's degree | 8% |
Tools and Software Telecommunications Technician Assistants Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Troubleshooting, Repairing, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Active Listening.
Knowledge areas used most: Customer and Personal Service, Telecommunications, Computers and Electronics, English Language, Mathematics.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 3 of 5, which means medium preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 49-2022.00 (Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.