* Motorola tees up wireless mesh platform
Motorola Inc. has launched a multi-radio mesh networking system targeted to the municipal sector.

Using both unlicensed 2.4 GHz and newly-licensed 4.9 GHz public safety spectrum, the “MOTOMESH” architecture is designed for public safety, public works and public access applications. To date, more than a dozen munis have agreed to deploy the system, the latest being Riviera Beach, Fla., Motorola said.

* Providence gets Kabel Deutschland clearance
Providence Equity Partners said it has obtained regulatory clearance for its takeover of Kabel Deutschland (KDG), an MSO that passes about 15 million homes in Germany.

Last month, the firm agreed to buy the KDG stakes owned by fellow shareholders Apax Partners and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. Financial terms have not been disclosed.

Providence Equity partners, which also has cable investments in the Netherlands, Spain, and a pending one in Sweden, said it expects to close the agreement by Feb. 8, 2006.

* Blonder Tongue beefs up sales
Blonder Tongue Laboratories has hired Jeffrey Smith as director of sales for the South Central Region. Smith joins the company from EchoStar Communications, where he served as commercial technical director. Before that, he held a number of positions, including director of engineering, at WSNet, a digital satellite television provider.

* ETI dons Red Hat
ETI Software Solutions said it has migrated its flagship OSS products, CableBridge and Triad, to Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

 “We were looking for an OS that could support our evolving technology over the long term, not just meet our immediate requirements,” says Greg Gross, ETI’s director of product management.

“Red Hat Enterprise Operating Systems perform compatibility tests with many third-party hardware and software vendors, often in advance of product releases.