72205 – Telecommunications equipment installation and cable television service technicians

Lead statement

Telephone installers and repairers install, test, maintain and repair telephones. Apprentices are also included in this occupation.

Main duties

• Install, arrange, remove and maintain telephone equipment, wiring and associated hardware
• Test installed telephone systems to locate transmission faults
• Repair or replace defective and damaged telephones, wire and associated equipment.
• Install electromechanical, analog and digital trunking systems, circuits and equipment in telecommunications central offices and switching centres
• Inspect and test trunking systems, circuits and equipment
• Analyze test results and adjust, change or repair switching system, network, associated equipment and software.
• Operate computerized testing systems to conduct service tests on customer lines and equipment
• Determine the nature, cause and location of service trouble
• Dispatch appropriate repair personnel
• Complete test reports and maintain test and service records
• May assist repair personnel to test lines, circuits and systems, isolate and clear cable faults and verify records.
• Install, remove and maintain various telecommunications equipment and related systems such as telex and facsimile machines, teletypewriters, mobile radios, cellular telephones, pagers and other telecommunications equipment
• Configure operating systems and install software for access to the Internet
• Inspect and test operation of telecommunications equipment
• Diagnose and locate equipment faults, and adjust, replace or repair telecommunications equipment.
• Communicate with subscribers and company personnel to determine work assignments
• Connect, disconnect and relocate cable outlets, install splitters, converters, decoders, terminals, digital boxes and satellite equipment, and install other cable or wireless modems, routers and software to enable Internet access at subscriber’s premises
• Inspect, test and repair cable and satellite television signals and associated equipment at subscriber’s premises

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is required.
• Telephone and switch network installers and repairers require completion of an apprenticeship program ranging from three to four years ora combination of over three years work experience in the trade and some high school, college or industry related courses.
• Experience as an installer and repairer (telephone and switch network) is usually required for service testers.
• Telecommunications equipment technicians usually require completion of a college electrical and electronics program and several months of on-the-job training orcompletion of a three- or four-year apprenticeship training program.
• Trade certification for communication technicians is available, but voluntary, in Nova Scotia, Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
• Cable television service technicians require completion of a college program in electronics or a combination of college, correspondence or industry courses related to electronics and electrical systems and on-the-job training or completion of a four-year cable television technician apprenticeship program.

Example job titles

telephone equipment tester · telephone installer · telephone repairer · telephone technician - telecommunications · switched communication electrician · toll communication electrician · switch network installer and repairer - telecommunications · satellite receiver installer · telecommunications service tester · telephone traffic inspector · cellular telephone installer · telecommunications technician · direct broadcast satellite (DBS) technician - cable television · cable television service technician · satellite television service installation technician

Wages (per hour)

Source: Job Bank wages, 2025 release (ESDC). Low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles.