Telecommunications and Cable Television Installation, and Repair/Maintenance Workers

Nature of work

Telecommunications installation and repair workers and cable television service technicians install, arrange, remove, and maintain telephone equipment and cable outlets. This work requires climbing and working on poles, ladders, or other support structures. They are employed by cable and satellite television companies, telephone and other telecommunications transmission services establishments.

Job duties

The following is a summary of duties for telecommunications workers:

• Telephone installers and repairers install, arrange, remove and maintain telephone equipment, wiring and associated hardware. They test installed telephone systems to locate transmission faults and repair or replace defective and damaged telephones, wire, and associated equipment.
• Switch network installers and repairers install electromechanical, analog and digital trunking systems, circuits and equipment in telecommunications central offices and switching centres. They inspect and test trunking systems, circuits, and equipment and then analyze test results and adjust, change or repair switching system, network, associated equipment, and software.
• Telecommunications service testers Operate computerized testing systems to conduct service tests on customer lines and equipment to determine the nature, cause, and location of service trouble. They initiate the dispatch of appropriate repair personnel. May assist repair personnel to test lines, circuits and systems, isolate and clear cable faults and verify records.
• Telecommunications equipment technicians install, remove and maintain various telecommunications equipment and related systems such as telex and facsimile machines, teletypewriters, mobile radios, cellular telephones, pagers and other related telecommunications equipment. They diagnose and locate equipment faults, and adjust, replace or repair telecommunications equipment.

Cable television service technicians perform some or all of the following duties:

• Communicate with subscribers and company personnel to determine work assignments.
• Connect, disconnect and relocate cable outlets, install splitters, converters, decoders, satellite and pay TV equipment, and install other cable hardware and systems at subscriber's premises.
• Install cable modems 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.

Cable television maintenance technicians perform some or all of the following duties:

• Maintain and repair main aerial and underground coaxial and fibre optic cable television transmission lines, trunking and related distribution and interconnecting systems including power supplies and amplifiers.
• Inspect, monitor, test and adjust cable transmission and distribution systems.
• Repair or replace faulty cables, power supplies, amplifiers and other associated transmission and distribution equipment.
• Climb and work aloft on poles, ladders or other support structures.
• Communicate with other workers to coordinate the preparation and completion of work assignments.

Sample job titles

• cable television maintenance technician
• cable television technician
• cellular telephone technician
• communications electrician - telecommunications
• community antenna television (CATV) technician - telecommunications
• satellite receiving equipment installer
• satellite television technician
• telecommunications equipment electrician
• telecommunications equipment inspector
• telecommunications technician

Skills

This work requires a good mechanical and electrical aptitude. You should have a strong background in mathematics and the sciences. Accuracy and a keen eye for detail are important. Good eyesight, colour vision, and hand-eye coordination are necessary.

Job requirements

• Completion of high school is required.
• Combinations of the completion of a college program, apprenticeship training program, correspondence or industry courses related to the field and on-the-job training vary between specific jobs within this overall grouping.
• Trade certification for communication technicians is available, but voluntary, in Nova Scotia.
• Experience as an installer and repairer (telephone and switch network) is usually required for service testers.

Other considerations

Progression to supervisory positions is possible with experience. Advances in telecommunications and multi-media technology and the ways in which they are delivered to customers may affect the type of work performed and job prospects in these jobs. Advances in technology, like high-speed Internet and digital phone services, require that workers in this group continuously upgrade their skills.

Regulations

There are no additional resources for this occupation.

Satellite television technician

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