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Telecommunications installer: what the job actually is

Installing and repairing the cables and equipment that bring phone, internet and television into homes and buildings.

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Telecommunications installer: quick facts

Telecommunications installer salary in Ontario: the median pay is $33.00 an hour, according to Job Bank (reference period 2023-2024). Its three-year outlook in Ontario is limited. The job usually needs a college diploma, or an apprenticeship of two or more years.

Median pay in Ontario
$33.00 an hour
Pay range (low to high)
$20.00 to $41.03 an hour
Job outlook, 2025-2027
Limited
People working in it in Ontario
7,600
Usually needs
Usually a college diploma, or an apprenticeship of two or more years

Source: Job Bank wages (updated 19 November 2025) and job prospects (updated 10 December 2025), NOC 72205. Pay varies by region and experience.

The work

What this job actually is

  • Running cable and connecting equipment so people have phone, internet and television service. Some of it is in homes, and some is in offices, buildings and the networks between them.
  • Job Bank's group is broader than one job title: telecommunications equipment installation and cable television service technicians. It includes people who install and repair telephone equipment as well as those who install cable and fibre service.
  • Skilled Trades Ontario has a related trade, Network Cabling Specialist. Job Bank names it as regulated by Skilled Trades Ontario, but it does not say every installer in this group needs it, so ask an employer what they require.
  • A big part of the day is driving, entering strangers' homes, and fixing the problem that is not the one in the work order.
  • Job Bank's outlook for this group is Limited, with employment expected to decline. Be honest with yourself about that before you commit.

A Tuesday

What a normal day looks like

Not a good day or a bad one. The ordinary version, which is what you would actually be living.

  1. 7:30 — Start at the depot or from home, check the day's work orders on your phone. Six jobs, one of which is a vague complaint about slow internet.
  2. 8:15 — First visit. The customer is waiting. You look at the outside connection, then trace the cable inside the house.
  3. 9:30 — Find the problem: a damaged cable behind a wall. Run a new one, crawling through a basement ceiling.
  4. 10:45 — Test the signal, set up the equipment, show the customer how it works. They ask three things unrelated to what you did.
  5. 12:00 — Lunch in the van, entering notes on the previous job.
  6. 12:30 — A new installation. Drill, run cable to the outside connection, terminate it, test.
  7. 14:30 — Up a ladder to check an outdoor line. Check the weather and your footing.
  8. 15:30 — The next customer cancelled. Use the gap to drive to the next area and catch up on notes.
  9. 16:30 — Last job, then back to the depot to return equipment, or home with the van.

Honestly

Who loves this, and who should not do it

The second list is the useful one. Nearly every careers page leaves it out, which is why nearly every careers page reads like an advert.

You may like this if
  • You like solving the specific fault in front of you, with a clear test at the end that says it works.
  • You are comfortable meeting strangers and going into their homes.
  • You like being on the move rather than in one place all day.
  • You are patient with technical problems that turn out to be simple.
  • You are curious about how networks and cables work and want a trade rather than a desk.
You may hate this if
  • You dislike driving and customer contact. A large part of the day is both.
  • You need job security. Job Bank's outlook for this group is Limited, with employment decline expected.
  • Ladders, crawl spaces and attics bother you. Cable has to go wherever it needs to go.
  • Appointment windows and schedules stress you. Jobs run late and customers are waiting.
  • You want the work to stay the same. Technology changes the equipment and what employers hire for.

The route in

How you actually get there in Ontario

  1. Finish secondary school

    Job Bank says completion of secondary school is required for this group. Maths, physics and electronics or technological education courses are the most relevant.

  2. Know the two ways in

    Job Bank says installers need a three- to four-year apprenticeship, or over three years of work experience in the trade plus some high school, college or industry courses. In practice, many people are hired by a telecom company or contractor and trained on the job.

  3. Look at the related trade

    Skilled Trades Ontario lists Network Cabling Specialist as trade code 631A, a non-compulsory trade, with 4,600 hours in total: 4,000 hours on the job and 600 hours in school across two levels. We have not confirmed that every employer in this group uses it, so ask.

  4. Use OYAP if your employer offers it

    A student in Grade 11 or 12 can earn co-op credits in a skilled trade through the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program. Ask your school whether a placement with a telecom or cabling contractor is possible.

Where this comes from: Job Bank — Requirements for telecommunications installers in Ontario · Skilled Trades Ontario — Network Cabling Specialist (631A) · Ontario — Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program

The money

Telecommunications installer salary in Ontario

Job Bank's own figures, quoted rather than summarised, with the period they describe — so you can tell how old they are and go and check them.

$20.00
Low (hourly)
$33.00
Median (hourly)
$41.03
High (hourly)

Ontario, NOC 72205. Reference period 2023-2024, last updated by Job Bank on 19 November 2025. Wages vary a lot by region inside Ontario and by how long you have been doing it — the low figure is roughly where you start, not what the job is worth.

Source: Job Bank — Telecommunications installer wages in Ontario

Where it is heading

The outlook for the next three years

Job Bank publishes a three-year outlook for every job in every province. It is the closest thing to an honest forecast, and it moves, so read it as a weather report rather than a verdict.

Ontario, 2025-2027

Limited2 out of 5 stars

  • Employment decline will lead to the loss of some positions.
  • A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
  • There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

What that rating means: how many openings Job Bank expects in Ontario for this kind of work against how many people are likely to be looking — not whether it is a good job. A “limited” rating means more competition for each opening; it does not close the door, and it can change before you are ready to walk through it.

7,600
people work in this job in Ontario
9%
are women (48% across all jobs)

Source: Job Bank — Telecommunications equipment installation and cable television service technicians job prospects in Ontario (NOC 72205). Outlook updated by Job Bank on 10 December 2025; read by us on 5 October 2026.

Before you leave school

Things you can do now

  • Take electronics, computer technology and physics courses.
  • Ask your guidance counsellor about OYAP and whether a co-op placement with a telecom or cabling contractor is possible.
  • Learn what is inside your own home's network: where the cable comes in, where it connects, and how the router connects to it. Do not open anything you should not.
  • Look at the junction boxes and cables on your street. Many of them are labelled.

Test it

Do this before you decide anything

Reading about a job tells you almost nothing. This is designed to be done alone, this week, for free.

Trace how internet reaches your home, and fix something

About 60 minutes
  1. Find where the cable, phone line or fibre enters your home. Do not open any boxes. Follow it with your eyes to the router or modem and draw a diagram of the path.
  2. Look up one problem people have with home internet, such as weak wifi in a far room. Work out two possible causes and what you would check first.
  3. Ask a household member whether you can test one thing safely: moving the router, or checking that cables are firmly connected. Write down what changed.
  4. Search for a video of an installer doing a home install and watch the whole job.

What it tells you. If you enjoyed tracing the path and thinking through the causes, you have the troubleshooting temperament this work rewards. If drawing the diagram felt like a chore and you did not care what the fault was, that matters, because the daily job is finding the cause of a fault in someone else's home. Also weigh the Limited outlook before you decide.

Better than any article

Questions for somebody who does this job

Most people say yes to a teenager who asks good questions. These are the ones that get real answers rather than encouragement.

  1. “How much of your day is driving and talking to customers, and how much is technical work?”
  2. “How did you get into the job, and did you do an apprenticeship?”
  3. “How has the work changed since you started?”
  4. “What do you think of the future of this work?”
  5. “What is the part of the job you did not expect?”
  6. “If you were starting now, what training would you choose?”

Could you own one of these?

The part other career sites never mention

Sometimes. Network cabling and installation contractors exist, and some people go out on their own after years of experience. Job Bank does not report a self-employment share for this group, so we cannot say how common it is. A client base, insurance and equipment costs are the practical hurdles.

Business 101 is free and teaches that part

Quick answers

Questions people ask about this job

How much does a telecommunications installer make in Ontario?

The median pay for a telecommunications installer in Ontario is $33.00 an hour, according to Job Bank (reference period 2023-2024, updated 19 November 2025). The range Job Bank publishes runs from $20.00 to $41.03 an hour. Pay varies by region, employer and experience.

What is the job outlook for a telecommunications installer in Ontario?

Job Bank rates the employment outlook for this work in Ontario as limited for 2025-2027 (updated 10 December 2025). Employment decline will lead to the loss of some positions. A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements. There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation. A lower rating means more competition for each opening, not that no one is hiring.

What do you need to become a telecommunications installer in Ontario?

Job Bank says this work usually needs a college diploma, or an apprenticeship of two or more years. The usual route in Ontario, in order: Finish secondary school; Know the two ways in; Look at the related trade.

How many people work as a telecommunications installer in Ontario, and how many are women?

Job Bank counts about 7,600 people working in this job in Ontario. 9% of them are women, compared with 48% across all jobs. That describes who does the work today, not who can.

Skilled trades hub: kids, teens and adults The highest-paying skilled trades OYAP: start in high school SHSM: the Specialist High Skills Major Women in the skilled trades What can you do with your degree?

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Wages and training requirements change. Every figure on this page is linked to the body that publishes it, and the review date above says when we last checked. If you find something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.