Verizon today unveiled its plans for delivering FiOS to multiple-dwelling units. While the company has already wired about 57,000 such units nationally, Verizon is now touting that effort as it gets more aggressive in its sales.

“About one-fifth of our customer base lives in MDUS, so we have to meet the challenge of connecting them as well,” said Eric Cevis, vice president of Verizon's Enhanced Communities group, which includes the MDU effort. “It’s a little more complicated but we are going to go all out to get MDUs on line.”

Initially the effort is focused on MDUs that are within the existing FiOS footprint, but Cevis said Verizon will do “limited green field deployments” in densely populated areas where FiOS has not been deployed.

The company is hoping to negotiate exclusive deals with property owners for voice, data and video services, but will also offer non-exclusive marketing arrangements, and will offer voice and high-speed data services in buildings where cable companies have already locked in video exclusives.

“Then as those contracts expire, we’ll be sitting at the door,” Cevis said.

Verizon has worked with its equipment vendors to develop slimmed down Optical Network Units (ONUs) for deploying fiber all the way into an individual unit, and to develop Optical Network Terminals that can be deployed in a common equipment closet to deliver voice and high speed data over either Category 5 wiring using Ethernet or standard twisted pair telephone wire, using VDSL, said Michael Weston, director of broadband operations and support. When not running fiber into individual units, Verizon will deliver its video service over coaxial cable, he said.

Weston also said Verizon is working with multiple vendors, although Tellabs is the only announced technology supplier.

This spring will mark a more aggressive push by Verizon’s sales force, which was developed in its Verizon Avenue unit, now part of the Enhanced Communities group, Cevis said.

The Enhanced Communities group has also been working with new housing developers in single-family developments and has hooked up about 150,000 units nationwide, he said.