Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers
Machines can already do 24% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 56%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 24% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 3% of them.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2034, and 56% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 140,920 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $63,890 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 80% for contact with people.
- Also called: Broadband Technician (Broadband Tech), Combination Technician (Combination Tech), Customer Service Technician (CST), Installer.
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assemble and install communication equipment such as data and telephone communication lines, wiring, switching equipment, wiring frames, power apparatus, computer systems, and networks | 11% | 3% to 30% | |
| Drive crew trucks to and from work areas | 9% | 45% to 85% | |
| Run wires between components and to outside cable systems, connecting them to wires from telephone poles or underground cable accesses | 9% | 3% to 30% | |
| Test circuits and components of malfunctioning telecommunications equipment to isolate sources of malfunctions, using test meters, circuit diagrams, polarity probes, and other hand tools | 7% | 3% to 30% | |
| Repair or replace faulty equipment, such as defective and damaged telephones, wires, switching system components, and associated equipment | 7% | 20% to 60% | |
| Test repaired, newly installed, or updated equipment to ensure that it functions properly and conforms to specifications, using test equipment and observation | 6% | 20% to 60% | |
| Climb poles and ladders, use truck-mounted booms, and enter areas such as manholes and cable vaults to install, maintain, or inspect equipment | 5% | 3% to 30% | |
| Demonstrate equipment to customers and explain its use, responding to any inquiries or complaints | 5% | 40% to 68% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Medical Equipment Repairers50% of tasks by 2035 · US median $61,660
- Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians55% of tasks by 2035 · US median $73,900
- Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers45% of tasks by 2035 · US median $52,600
- Home Appliance Repairers53% of tasks by 2035 · US median $50,990
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2034. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers?
Machines can do 24% of the tasks of telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers today and 56% by 2035. The job changes before it disappears: the routine tasks move first.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 49-2022.00 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/telecommunications-equipment-installers-and-repairers-except-line-installers/