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Installation & Repair · Updated Aug 2026

Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers

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.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
AI Exposure
52/100
Moderate

How much of this occupation’s work can be materially affected by current AI systems.

Replacement Risk
42/100
Moderate

How likely exposure is to translate into reduced human demand.

Includes provisional estimates for AI adoption pressure and labour-market resilience. How this is measured

Evidence quality
Confidence82/100
Task coverage84%

Confidence reflects task coverage, mapping and capability-evidence quality, and how much of the score rests on provisional inputs.

Task-level evidence

What is driving the score?

Occupation scores are built from the task mix—not a single prediction about a job title.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
TaskImportanceAI impactExposure
Run wires between components and to outside cable systems, connecting them to wires from telephone poles or underground cable accesses.High
66
Test circuits and components of malfunctioning telecommunications equipment to isolate sources of malfunctions, using test meters, circuit diagrams, polarity probes, and other hand tools.High
66
Demonstrate equipment to customers and explain its use, responding to any inquiries or complaints.High
62
Note differences in wire and cable colors so that work can be performed correctly.High
69
Test connections to ensure that power supplies are adequate and that communications links function.High
69
Communicate with bases, using telephones or two-way radios to receive instructions or technical advice, or to report equipment status.Medium
67
Collaborate with other workers to locate and correct malfunctions.High
69
Route and connect cables and lines to switches, switchboard equipment, and distributing frames, using wire-wrap guns or soldering irons to connect wires to terminals.Medium
66
Maintain computer and manual records pertaining to facilities and equipment.Medium
66
Inspect equipment on a regular basis to ensure proper functioning.High
51
Diagnose and correct problems from remote locations, using special switchboards to find the sources of problems.Medium
68
Analyze test readings, computer printouts, and trouble reports to determine equipment repair needs and required repair methods.Medium
53
Adjust or modify equipment to enhance equipment performance or to respond to customer requests.Medium
59
Enter codes needed to correct electronic switching system programming.Medium
67
Program computerized switches and switchboards to provide requested features.Medium
68
Refer to manufacturers' manuals to obtain maintenance instructions pertaining to specific malfunctions.Medium
69
Assemble and install communication equipment such as data and telephone communication lines, wiring, switching equipment, wiring frames, power apparatus, computer systems, and networks.High
31
Perform routine maintenance on equipment, including adjusting and lubricating components and painting worn or exposed areas.Medium
66
Climb poles and ladders, use truck-mounted booms, and enter areas such as manholes and cable vaults to install, maintain, or inspect equipment.High
28
Remove and remake connections to change circuit layouts, following work orders or diagrams.Medium
41
Determine viability of sites through observation, and discuss site locations and construction requirements with customers.Medium
64
Review manufacturer's instructions, manuals, technical specifications, building permits, and ordinances to determine communication equipment requirements and procedures.Medium
68
Measure distances from landmarks to identify exact installation sites for equipment.Medium
37
Repair or replace faulty equipment, such as defective and damaged telephones, wires, switching system components, and associated equipment.High
22
Test repaired, newly installed, or updated equipment to ensure that it functions properly and conforms to specifications, using test equipment and observation.High
20
Examine telephone transmission facilities to determine requirements for new or additional telephone services.Medium
37
Clean and maintain tools, test equipment, and motor vehicles.Medium
24
Install updated software and programs that maintain existing software or provide requested features, such as time-correlated call routing.Medium
41
Provide input into the design and manufacturing of new equipment.Medium
68
Install telephone station equipment, such as intercommunication systems, transmitters, receivers, relays, and ringers, and related apparatus, such as coin collectors, telephone booths, and switching-key equipment.Medium
45
Clean switches and replace contact points, using vacuum hoses, solvents, and hand tools.Medium
38
Request support from technical service centers when on-site procedures fail to solve installation or maintenance problems.Medium
22
Address special issues or situations, such as illegal or unauthorized use of equipment, or cases of electrical or acoustic shock.Medium
66
Dig holes or trenches as necessary for equipment installation and access.Medium
23
Most exposed

Where AI can do more

Routine, digitized, and highly repeatable tasks face the greatest pressure.

  1. Note differences in wire and cable colors so that work can be performed correctly.69
  2. Test connections to ensure that power supplies are adequate and that communications links function.69
  3. Collaborate with other workers to locate and correct malfunctions.69
  4. Refer to manufacturers' manuals to obtain maintenance instructions pertaining to specific malfunctions.69
Hardest to automate

Where people still matter

These tasks score lowest on automation feasibility—physical presence, judgement, accountability and real-world variability all resist end-to-end automation.

  1. Test repaired, newly installed, or updated equipment to ensure that it functions properly and conforms to specifications, using test equipment and observation.01
  2. Repair or replace faulty equipment, such as defective and damaged telephones, wires, switching system components, and associated equipment.02
  3. Request support from technical service centers when on-site procedures fail to solve installation or maintenance problems.03
  4. Dig holes or trenches as necessary for equipment installation and access.04
  5. Clean and maintain tools, test equipment, and motor vehicles.05
Where else this work leads

Related occupations

Occupations O*NET links to this one. Relatedness reflects shared work, not a claim that these roles are safer.

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AI risk 50

Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment

Closely related work

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Beyond AI capability

Adoption and labour-market outlook

Structural factors are kept separate from raw capability so you can see what actually resists automation. Adoption pressure and labour-market resilience are still provisional models—25% of this occupation’s replacement-risk weight rests on them.

Human dependency75
Physical dependency60
Adoption pressure52
Labour-market resilience72
Methodology & sources

O*NET 30.3 occupational data interpreted through the JobsVsAI capability, automation and structural-constraint models.

Confidence82/100
CalculatedAug 21, 2026
Read methodology →