Patent ID: 8764464

Claim:
An electrical connector comprising: a housing that retains a plurality of electrical contacts, wherein the electrical contacts include a plurality of signal contacts arranged in differential signal pairs, and a plurality of ground contacts, such that each of the signal contacts includes a lead portion, a mating portion at one end of the lead portion, and a mounting portion at another end of the lead portion and each of the ground contacts includes a lead portion, a mating portion at one end of the lead portion, and a mounting portion at another end of the lead portion, wherein adjacent differential signal pairs are separated by a ground contact along a lateral direction, an entirety of the lead portion of the ground contact that separates the adjacent differential signal pairs is aligned with the lead portion of each signal contact of the adjacent differential signal pairs along the lateral direction, and the lead portions of the signal contacts of the adjacent differential signal pairs are aligned with each other along the lateral direction; and a shieldless ground coupling assembly that places at least a plurality of the ground contacts in electrical communication with each other.