How to become a telecommunications technician in Australia
Telecommunications Technicians install, maintain and repair telecommunications equipment and appliances, such as telephones, mobile telephones, switchboards and data transmission equipment, in homes, businesses, telephone exchanges and other network sites.
Pay and growth are for the wider telecommunications trades workers group, which is as fine as the data goes. The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the telecommunications trades workers group are projected to grow 3.8% between May 2025 and May 2035, slower than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Locates faults in telecommunications equipment using instruments such as ohmmeters, voltmeters, ammeters and transmission measuring equipment.
- Attaches wires and cables to appliances.
- Adjusts, replaces and repairs faulty items, and tests equipment using electronic instruments.
- Installs telecommunications equipment and appliances such as telephones, switchboards and data transmission equipment.
How to get there
What it usually takes. A Certificate III or IV, including at least two years of on-the-job training where it is a Certificate III. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the telecommunications trades workers group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 18% a degree or higher, 15% a diploma, 43% a Certificate III or IV.
Apprenticeship or traineeship. This job isn't on the current Priority List we checked, which only covers occupations in demand, so that doesn't rule one out. Ask a TAFE or an Apprentice Connect provider.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
We haven't matched this job to courses in the admissions lists. It usually starts with training on the job or at a registered training provider, not a course through an admissions centre. See Your Career.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
From O*NET ratings for "Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a acceptable match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
Careers with similar interests
Air conditioning mechanic$2,100 Electrician$2,191 Plumber$1,990 Auto electrician$2,808 Motor mechanic$1,622Done this job, or studied for it?
Tell Year 12s the one thing you wish you'd known. First name only, and we read every story before it goes up.
Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
This page 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. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.