Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers
In short: today's best AI models could do about 13% 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 conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 87% of the time, stays with people.
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.
140,920 people do this job in the US. $63,890 a year.
Reviewed on September 30, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on2 h
- A person checks AI's work3 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people35 h
Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 2 hours, 3 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 35 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Program switches and switchboards (under an hour, a person checks); Verify databases (under an hour); Install software updates (under an hour, a person checks).
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.
- 4%
- 9%
- 2%
- 5%
- 80%
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.
What handing it over would take, now
The 13% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
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, 9%. Today's estimate: 13%.
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, 0.085% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 190th largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 1 of its 40 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.038% to 0.011% (released February and March 2025); 0.034% to 0.029% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.079% to 0.085% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.038% | 319 of 708 | 5 of 40 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.011% | 497 of 703 | 3 of 40 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.034% | 290 of 655 | 4 of 40 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.028% | 331 of 672 | 3 of 40 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.029% | 343 of 677 | 4 of 40 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.079% | 191 of 434 | 1 of 40 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.085% | 190 of 447 | 1 of 40 |
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 74% of this job's working time as physical work. For 35% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 24% in a purpose-built cell, 2% in a structured facility, 9% in any setting. 0.55 of 3, the 295th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 26%
- No robot shown 39%
- In a purpose-built cell 24%
- In a structured facility 2%
- In any setting 9%
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.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
85% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Assemble and install communication equipment, the hands-on work, 22%
- Run and connect wires, the hands-on work, 7%
- Repair or replace faulty equipment, the hands-on work, 6%
- Drive the crew truck, the hands-on work, 6%
- Climb poles and enter vaults, the hands-on work, 4%
- Inspect equipment, the hands-on work, 4%
What becomes checking the machine
7% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it. Another 5% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Program switches and switchboards, costly if wrong, 2%
- Install software updates, costly if wrong, 2%
- Analyze test readings and trouble reports, costly if wrong, 0.9%
- Diagnose problems remotely, costly if wrong, 0.7%
- Review specifications and permits, costly if wrong, 0.6%
- Test circuits to isolate faults, costly if wrong, 0.6%
What to learn
- The hands-on craft. About 80% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
- Judgment where errors are severe. Some tasks are severe if wrong. Knowing when not to trust an output matters more there than speed.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 40 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assemble and install communication equipment such as data and telephone communication lines, wiring, switching equipment, wiring frames, power apparatus, computer systems, and networks.Lines, wiring, frames and power apparatus installed by hand.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 22% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Run wires between components and to outside cable systems, connecting them to wires from telephone poles or underground cable accesses.Wiring between components and outside cables.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Repair or replace faulty equipment, such as defective and damaged telephones, wires, switching system components, and associated equipment.Hands-on repair of phones, wires and switching components.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Robot-friendly cable-less server rack with lifter robot and container transfer robots (SoftBank Corp.) (demonstrated). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Drive crew trucks to and from work areas.Driving to and from the work area.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in any setting, Waymo Driver / Waymo One robotaxi (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 33 min13 min to 50 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Climb poles and ladders, use truck-mounted booms, and enter areas such as manholes and cable vaults to install, maintain, or inspect equipment.Poles, ladders, booms and manholes.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Inspect equipment on a regular basis to ensure proper functioning.Regular checks of the equipment on site.Done more than weekly by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, ANYmal (ANYbotics) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Remove and remake connections to change circuit layouts, following work orders or diagrams.Connections changed to the diagram.Done more than yearly by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Test circuits and components of malfunctioning telecommunications equipment to isolate sources of malfunctions, using test meters, circuit diagrams, polarity probes, and other hand tools.Meters and probes on the equipment, with the circuit diagram.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 80%, documents 20% | 20%Desk part half by now |
| Demonstrate equipment to customers and explain its use, responding to any inquiries or complaints.Showing the customer the equipment and answering questions.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Test connections to ensure that power supplies are adequate and that communications links function.Testing connections with meters.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Telescent G4 Network Topology Manager (robotic patch panel/cross-connect) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| 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.Wire-wrap and soldering at the frames.Done more than monthly by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Komax Zeta 620/630/640/650 harness manufacturing platforms (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Program computerized switches and switchboards to provide requested features.Features programmed in the switch.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 2% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Systems 100% | 97%Half by now |
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. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% 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 Line Installers and Repairers3% now, 3% by 2028
- Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers11% now, 11% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment26% now, 32% by 2028
- Telecommunications Engineering Specialists46% now, 78% by 2028
- Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers7% now, 7% by 2028
- Power Distributors and Dispatchers91% now, 91% 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 Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 13% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 13% 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 Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers 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: Program switches and switchboards (97% of the task's time now); Verify databases (100% of the task's time now); and Install software updates (99% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Assemble and install communication equipment; Run and connect wires; and Repair or replace faulty equipment. Together such tasks are about 83% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are the hands-on craft; judgment where errors are severe; and reviewing work you did not do yourself. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 85% of the working time stays with people, 7% becomes checking a model's work and 5% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.085% went to this job's tasks, the 190th largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 1 of its 40 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 3%. 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 Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 74% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 35% of the working time, 9% in any setting. Its index is 0.55 of 3. One example: Waymo Driver / Waymo One robotaxi for "drive the crew truck". 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 40 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on September 30, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), 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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