diff --git a/src/dev/net/etherlink.cc b/src/dev/net/etherlink.cc
index 448bb88..e250639 100644
--- a/src/dev/net/etherlink.cc
+++ b/src/dev/net/etherlink.cc
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@
         parent->schedule(doneEvent, event_time);
     }
 
-    size_t tx_queue_size;
+    size_t tx_queue_size = 0;
     if (optParamIn(cp, base + ".tx_queue_size", tx_queue_size)) {
         for (size_t idx = 0; idx < tx_queue_size; ++idx) {
             Tick tick;