Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers
In short: today's best AI models could do about 11% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about the same by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The people and hands-on work, about 89% of the time, stays with people.
Repair, install, or maintain mobile or stationary radio transmitting, broadcasting, and receiving equipment, and two-way radio communications systems used in cellular telecommunications, mobile broadband, ship-to-shore, aircraft-to-ground communications, and radio equipment in service and emergency vehicles. May test and analyze network coverage.
11,140 people do this job in the US. $63,520 a year.
A typical 40-hour week
Not yet reviewed task by task- AI could take on5 h
- A person checks AI's work0 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people35 h
Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 5 hours, 0 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 35 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Read work orders, blueprints, plans, datasheets or site drawings to determine work to be done (about 2 h); Complete reports related to project status, progress, or other work details, using computer software (about 2 h); Monitor radio range stations to detect transmission flaws and adjust controls to eliminate flaws (under an hour).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 11%
- 0%
- 89%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 11%. Today's estimate: 11%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, 0.032% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 281st largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 1 of its 30 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.0029% to none (released February and March 2025); 0.0023% to 0.0085% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.034% to 0.032% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.0029% | 661 of 708 | 1 of 30 |
| Released March 2025 | none | n/a | 0 of 30 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.0023% | 619 of 655 | 1 of 30 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.0075% | 519 of 672 | 3 of 30 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.0085% | 515 of 677 | 3 of 30 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.034% | 275 of 434 | 1 of 30 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.032% | 281 of 447 | 1 of 30 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 88% of this job's working time as physical work. For 68% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 57% in a purpose-built cell, 8% in a structured facility, 2% in any setting. 0.81 of 3, the 220th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 12%
- No robot shown 20%
- In a purpose-built cell 57%
- In a structured facility 8%
- In any setting 2%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
The tasks
Sorted by . 30 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run appropriate power, ground, or coaxial cables.Done more than weekly by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 16% | 1.7 h38 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Inspect completed work to ensure all hardware is tight, antennas are level, hangers are properly fastened, proper support is in place, or adequate weather proofing has been installed.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Telecom tower climbing robot (AIP conference design); Aerones robotic turbine service platforms (academic groups; Aerones) (demonstrated). Anthropic's rating. | 10% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Install all necessary transmission equipment components, including antennas or antenna mounts, surge arrestors, transmission lines, connectors, or tower-mounted amplifiers (TMAs).Done more than yearly by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Ericsson USA 5G Smart Factory automation (screw-driving robots, connector-placement machines) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 9% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Test operation of tower transmission components, using sweep testing tools or software.Done more than yearly by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Automated robotic RF cavity filter tuning system (Yigit et al.) (demonstrated). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 1.3 h38 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Transport equipment to work sites, using utility trucks and equipment trailers.Done more than monthly by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, Kodiak Driver RoboTrucks (Atlas Energy Solutions) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 1.3 h38 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Read work orders, blueprints, plans, datasheets or site drawings to determine work to be done.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Bolt equipment into place, using hand or power tools.Done more than monthly by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Vision-guided robotic bolt-tightening station (3D-vision guided robot with electric tightening tools) on a van assembly line (INESC TEC with automotive OEM) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 33 min17 min to 1.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Climb communication towers to install, replace, or repair antennas or auxiliary equipment used to transmit and receive radio waves.Done more than monthly by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, GITAI Inchworm robots + Lunar Rover (with KDDI-specified antenna) (demonstrated). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Replace existing antennas with new antennas as directed.Done more than yearly by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Ericsson USA 5G Smart Factory automation (screw-driving robots, connector-placement machines) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Complete reports related to project status, progress, or other work details, using computer software.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Install, connect, or test underground or aboveground grounding systems.Done more than monthly by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Install, adjust, and repair stationary and mobile radio transmitting and receiving equipment and two-way radio communication systems.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, GITAI Lunar Rover + Inchworm Robots (with KDDI) (demonstrated). Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers13% now, 13% by 2028
- Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers3% now, 3% by 2028
- Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers7% now, 7% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment26% now, 32% by 2028
- Radio Frequency Identification Device Specialists39% now, 76% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment8% now, 8% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 11% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 11% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Read work orders, blueprints, plans, datasheets or site drawings to determine work to be done (100% of the task's time now); Complete reports related to project status, progress, or other work details, using computer software (100% of the task's time now); and Monitor radio range stations to detect transmission flaws and adjust controls to eliminate flaws (100% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Run appropriate power, ground, or coaxial cables; Inspect completed work to ensure all hardware is tight, antennas are level, hangers are properly fastened, proper support is in place, or adequate weather proofing has been installed; and Install all necessary transmission equipment components, including antennas or antenna mounts, surge arrestors, transmission lines, connectors, or tower-mounted amplifiers (TMAs). Together such tasks are about 89% of the working time.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.032% went to this job's tasks, the 281st largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 1 of its 30 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 0%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 88% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 68% of the working time, 2% in any setting. Its index is 0.81 of 3. One example: vHive On Site Validation (autonomous drone capture on off-the-shelf drones) for "take site survey photos or photos of work performed, using digital cameras". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 30 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, each classed as desk, people or body work, and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
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