Gossip

Is Nan Chen leaving the Metro Ethernet Forum, to go Meshing, then?

Sitting on the panel in a NetEvents session in Capri, the Editor reports spotting Metro Ethernet Forum chief Nan Chen doing his normal thing: talking about metro Ethernet. Except, under his arm he was carrying a bunch of corporate backgrounder folders for a company: Strix Systems.

Our Boss tells me he approached Chen at breakfast next day, and asked what he was doing with the Strix media pack. "Putting in press releases!" said Chen cheerfully (well, as cheerfully as you can when you've done your back in, but that's another story).

What's the press release about? We can't say. It relates, apparently, to the acquisition by Strix of a veteran in the Ethernet community, as marketing manager - but it's embargoed until October 10th.

Strix sells wireless Mesh hardware and software, and has installations in several European airports, and is rushing ahead with new wireless hardware. Is Strix Ethernet? Will Chen have to leave the MEF? No, of course not. "Wireless Ethernet, of course, it's all Ethernet!" said Chen. "But I can't talk about it, sorry!"