Ground shield for a contact module

A contact module comprising:

• a dielectric holder having first and second sides extending between a mating end and a mounting end;
• signal contacts held by the dielectric holder along a contact plane defined between the first and second sides, the signal contacts having mating portions extending from the mating end, mounting portions extending from the mounting end for termination to a circuit board, and transition portions extending through the dielectric holder between the mating and mounting portions;
• guard traces held by the dielectric holder along the contact plane between corresponding signal contacts, the guard traces providing electrical shielding between the corresponding signal contacts, the guard traces having guard trace openings;
• a ground shield coupled to the first side of the dielectric holder and providing electrical shielding for the signal contacts, the ground shield having skewer openings;
• and
• ground skewers separate and discrete from the ground shield, the ground skewers having posts, the posts extending into corresponding skewer openings and into corresponding guard trace openings to electrically connect the ground shield and the guard traces.

A contact module comprising:

• a dielectric holder having first and second sides extending between a mating end and a mounting end;
• signal contacts held by the dielectric holder along a contact plane defined between the first and second sides, the signal contacts having mating portions extending from the mating end, mounting portions extending from the mounting end for termination to a circuit board, and transition portions extending through the dielectric holder between the mating and mounting portions;
• a first ground shield coupled to the first side of the dielectric holder and providing electrical shielding for the signal contacts, the first ground shield having first skewer openings, the first ground shield including an interior facing the dielectric holder and an exterior opposite the interior of the first ground shield;
• a second ground shield coupled to the second side of the dielectric holder and providing electrical shielding for the signal contacts, the second ground shield having second skewer openings, the second ground shield including an interior facing the dielectric holder and an exterior opposite the interior of the second ground shield;
• and
• ground skewers separate and discrete from the first and second ground shield, the ground skewers having posts extending through the dielectric holder, the posts extending into corresponding first and second skewer openings to electrically connect the first ground shield to the second ground shield, wherein the posts pass through the first ground shield from the exterior of the first ground shield to the interior of the first ground shield, and wherein the posts pass through the second ground shield from the interior of the second ground shield to the exterior of the second ground shield.