Telecommunications Line Technician
Skilled Trades
Install and repair telecommunications cable, including fiber optics.
You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.
What you'd do all day
The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.
- 1Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment.
- 2Explain cable service to subscribers after installation, and collect any installation fees due.
- 3Travel to customers' premises to install, maintain, or repair audio and visual electronic reception equipment or accessories.
- 4Measure signal strength at utility poles, using electronic test equipment.
- 5Inspect or test lines or cables, recording and analyzing test results, to assess transmission characteristics and locate faults or malfunctions.
- 6Splice cables, using hand tools, epoxy, or mechanical equipment.
- 7Access specific areas to string lines, or install terminal boxes, auxiliary equipment, or appliances, using bucket trucks, climbing poles or ladders, or entering tunnels, trenches, or crawl spaces.
- 8Place insulation over conductors, or seal splices with moisture-proof covering.
- 9String cables between structures and lines from poles, towers, or trenches, and pull lines to proper tension.
- 10Clean or maintain tools or test equipment.
- 11Compute impedance of wires from poles to houses to determine additional resistance needed for reducing signals to desired levels.
- 12Install equipment such as amplifiers or repeaters to maintain the strength of communications transmissions.
- 13Lay underground cable directly in trenches, or string it through conduits running through trenches.
- 14Pull up cable by hand from large reels mounted on trucks.
- 15Use a variety of construction equipment to complete installations, such as digger derricks, trenchers, or cable plows.
- 16Pull cable through ducts by hand or with winches.
- 17Dig trenches for underground wires or cables.
- 18Fill and tamp holes, using cement, earth, and tamping devices.
- 19Dig holes for power poles, using power augers or shovels, set poles in place with cranes, and hoist poles upright, using winches.
Also known as
What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.
- Climber
- Jointer
- Lineman
- Splicer
- Cableman
- Reel Man
- Installer
- Cable Layer
- Cable Wirer
- Line Tester
How far is this from you?
Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.
1
Entry straight after SPM
Typical entry
SPM + sijil / short TVET course
3
Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)
4
Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)
5
Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route
Subjects that matter here
The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.
What you'd need to know
The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.
- Telecommunications90%
Electrical & Electronic Eng. StudiesComputer Science / ICT
- Customer and Personal Service88%
- English Language75%
English
- Public Safety and Security68%
- Computers and Electronics65%
Computer Science / ICTElectrical & Electronic Eng. Studies
- Mechanical64%
Mechanical Engineering StudiesPhysicsDesign & Technology (RBT)
Tools you'd use
Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.
What the work feels like
Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.
- Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
- Contact with other peopleConstant contact
- Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
- Leading or coordinating othersHigh
- Handling conflict situationsOften
- Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
- Outdoors, in all weatherEvery day
- Noisy environmentEvery day
Where this job is heading
Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.
- Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment, such as digital subscriber line modems.
AI and demand for this job
A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.
Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)
This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.
Pay in Malaysia
We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.
Where to check:
- JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
- DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
- SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
Check what you may qualify for
Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.
How to get here
Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.
Related careers
If this interests you, these are worth a look too.
About this information
This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.
O*NET occupation: Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers
Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org