I’m having the same problem but with NetworkManager (gnome). I had a working 11.2 installation and after the upgrade to 11.3 my NetworkManager won’t auto start, I have to start it from the console and then it works just fine.
Tried to use wicd but also couldn’t use it with a non-root user.
Please start a new thread. You already indicate you’re on Gnome, where things work a bit different compared to KDE. Your chances for help, or other people having the same trouble will increase if you do so.