Patent ID: 7131870

Claim:
An electrical connector comprising: a housing; and a plurality of contact modules in said housing; each said contact module comprising a mating edge and a mounting edge, each said mating and mounting edges having a row of contacts including signal contacts and ground contacts arranged in one of a first and second pattern, and adjacent contact modules in said housing having a different one of said first and second patterns; said first and second patterns each including pairs of signal contacts and individual ground contacts arranged in an alternating sequence; each mating edge contact being electrically connected to a corresponding mounting edge contact by signal conductors and ground conductors extending along a predetermined path within said contact module; wherein each said ground conductor has a width transverse to said predetermined path that is substantially equal to a combined transverse width across a pair of signal conductors in an adjacent contact module, said ground conductor thereby shielding said pair of signal conductors in said adjacent contact module when said contact modules are arranged in said housing.