A backplane connector (100, 200, 500, 600), comprising: a shroud (110, 210, 510, 610); a plurality of wafers (150, 250, 350, 750) supported by the shroud (110, 210), each wafer of the plurality of wafers (150, 250, 350) including an insulative frame (155, 255, 355, 755) that supports a first terminal pair (170, 270, 370, 770) and a second terminal pair (170, 270, 370, 770), the first and second terminal pairs (170, 270, 370, 770) each having a first signal terminal (172a, 272a, 372a) and a second signal terminal (172b, 272b, 372b) that form a differential pair, each of the first and second signal terminals (172a, 272a, 372a, 172b, 272b, 372b) having a contact (174a, 274a, 374a), a tail (174b, 274b, 374b, 767) and a body (174c, 274c, 374c) extending therebetween, the bodies (174c, 274c, 374c) of the first and second signal terminals (172a, 372a, 172b, 372b) being edge-coupled and each wafer (150, 250, 350) including a ground shield (160, 260, 360, 760) that provides a U-channel (162, 262, 362, 762) that extends along the body (174c, 27ac, 374c) of the signal terminals (172a, 272a, 372a, 172b, 272b, 372b), wherein each wafer (150, 250, 350) omits separate ground terminals between adjacent terminal pairs (170, 270, 370, 770) and the U-channels (162, 262, 362, 762) of adjacent terminal pairs (170, 270, 370, 770) are electrically connected with a connection frame (161, 261, 361, 761); and a plurality of U-shields, each of the U-shields of the plurality of U-shields arranged to partially shield the contacts of one of the terminal pairs (170, 270, 370, 770), the U-shield electrically connected to the U-channel (162, 262, 362, 762) associated with the corresponding terminal pair (170, 270, 370, 770), characterized in that each of the U-shields of the plurality of the U-shields is supported by the shroud (110, 210). a shroud (110, 210, 510, 610); a plurality of wafers (150, 250, 350, 750) supported by the shroud (110, 210), each wafer of the plurality of wafers (150, 250, 350) including an insulative frame (155, 255, 355, 755) that supports a first terminal pair (170, 270, 370, 770) and a second terminal pair (170, 270, 370, 770), the first and second terminal pairs (170, 270, 370, 770) each having a first signal terminal (172a, 272a, 372a) and a second signal terminal (172b, 272b, 372b) that form a differential pair, each of the first and second signal terminals (172a, 272a, 372a, 172b, 272b, 372b) having a contact (174a, 274a, 374a), a tail (174b, 274b, 374b, 767) and a body (174c, 274c, 374c) extending therebetween, the bodies (174c, 274c, 374c) of the first and second signal terminals (172a, 372a, 172b, 372b) being edge-coupled and each wafer (150, 250, 350) including a ground shield (160, 260, 360, 760) that provides a U-channel (162, 262, 362, 762) that extends along the body (174c, 27ac, 374c) of the signal terminals (172a, 272a, 372a, 172b, 272b, 372b), wherein each wafer (150, 250, 350) omits separate ground terminals between adjacent terminal pairs (170, 270, 370, 770) and the U-channels (162, 262, 362, 762) of adjacent terminal pairs (170, 270, 370, 770) are electrically connected with a connection frame (161, 261, 361, 761); and a plurality of U-shields, each of the U-shields of the plurality of U-shields arranged to partially shield the contacts of one of the terminal pairs (170, 270, 370, 770), the U-shield electrically connected to the U-channel (162, 262, 362, 762) associated with the corresponding terminal pair (170, 270, 370, 770), characterized in that each of the U-shields of the plurality of the U-shields is supported by the shroud (110, 210).