An
electrical connector includes a
wafer formed with a ground shield made from a non-conductive material made conductive with conductive particles disposed therein, thereby eliminating the necessity of the
metal ground shield plate found in prior art connectors while maintaining sufficient performance characteristics and minimizing electrical
noise generated in the
wafer. The
wafer housing is formed with a first, insulative housing at least partially surrounding a pair of
signal strips and a second, conductive housing at least partially surrounding the first, insulative housing and the
signal strips. The housings provide the wafer with sufficient
structural integrity, obviating the need for additional support structures or components for a wafer. Ground strips may be employed in the wafer and may be formed in the same plane as the
signal strips. The second, conductive housing may be connected (e.g., molded) to the ground strips and spaced appropriately from the signal strips. The wafer may also include air gaps between the signal strips of one wafer and the conductive housing of an adjacent wafer further reducing electrical
noise or other losses (e.g., cross-talk) without sacrificing significant
signal strength.