---
title: "Will AI Replace Telecom Technicians? (2026)"
description: "BLS rates telecom technicians' exposure to AI as high. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the 2025–2035 outlook (-3.3% projected)."
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-telecom-technicians"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace Telecom Technicians? (2026)

**Short answer:** The job is exposed and shrinking. BLS rates the exposure as high and projects employment to fall, so expect fewer roles and more AI in the ones that remain.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places telecom technicians in its high AI exposure category, above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do. BLS projects employment to fall by 3.3% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 11,300 openings a year.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | High | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 59/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | -3.3% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 11,300 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $63,890 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |

## Exposure categories

| BLS category | Occupations |
| --- | --- |
| Low | 203 |
| Moderate | 194 |
| High (this job) | 190 |
| Very high | 199 |

Exposure means AI could be or has been used to assist with or complete some of the work. BLS says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. Method: https://www.bls.gov/emp/publications/ai-exposure-categories.htm

## What holds up

- Face-to-face discussions: 4.8/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Operating vehicles, mechanized devices, or equipment: 4.2/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Performing general physical activities: 3.8/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Dealing with the public: 4.5/5 (O\*NET work context)

## What AI reaches first

- Processing information: 3.6/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Repeating the same tasks: 3.7/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Email: 4.6/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Documenting/recording information: 3.5/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## O\*NET tasks

- Collaborate with other workers to locate and correct malfunctions.
- Assemble and install communication equipment such as data and telephone communication lines, wiring, switching equipment, wiring frames, power apparatus, computer systems, and networks.
- Remove loose wires and other debris after work is completed.
- Inspect equipment on a regular basis to ensure proper functioning.
- Note differences in wire and cable colors so that work can be performed correctly.
- Request support from technical service centers when on-site procedures fail to solve installation or maintenance problems.

## Related careers less exposed to AI than telecom technicians

- [Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/electrical-power-line-installer-and-repairer): BLS exposure Low, median $95,320; [Will AI replace linemen?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-linemen)
- [Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Except Engines](https://nuecareer.com/careers/mobile-heavy-equipment-mechanic): BLS exposure Low, median $65,510; [Will AI replace mobile heavy equipment mechanics?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-mobile-heavy-equipment-mechanics)
- [Bus and Truck Mechanic and Diesel Engine Specialist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/bus-and-truck-mechanic-and-diesel-engine-specialist): BLS exposure Low, median $61,770; [Will AI replace diesel mechanics?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-diesel-mechanics)
- [Telecommunications Line Installer and Repairer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/telecommunications-line-installer-and-repairer): BLS exposure Moderate, median $74,330
- [Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installer and Repairer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/radio-cellular-and-tower-equipment-installer-and-repairer): BLS exposure Moderate, median $63,520
- [Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanic and Installer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/heating-air-conditioning-and-refrigeration-mechanic-and-installer): BLS exposure Moderate, median $61,010; [Will AI replace hvac technicians?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-hvac-technicians)

## FAQ

**Will AI replace telecom technicians?**

The job is exposed and shrinking. BLS rates the exposure as high and projects employment to fall, so expect fewer roles and more AI in the ones that remain. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to fall by 3.3% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 11,300 openings a year.

**How exposed are telecom technicians to AI?**

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Telecom Technicians are in the high category, alongside 189 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.

**What parts of a telecommunications equipment installer and repairer, except line installers's job can AI do?**

In O\*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are processing information, repeating the same tasks and email. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, operating vehicles, mechanized devices, or equipment and performing general physical activities. These come from O\*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.

**Is being a telecommunications equipment installer and repairer, except line installers a safe career from AI?**

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O\*NET work activities, telecom technicians score 59 out of 100, higher than 83% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $63,890 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.

**What careers similar to telecom technicians are less exposed to AI?**

Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer (low exposure, $95,320 median), Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Except Engines (low exposure, $65,510 median), Bus and Truck Mechanic and Diesel Engine Specialist (low exposure, $61,770 median), Telecommunications Line Installer and Repairer (moderate exposure, $74,330 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than telecom technicians, and most are listed by O\*NET as related to the work.

Full profile: https://nuecareer.com/careers/telecommunications-equipment-installer-and-repairer.

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology