Direct mate cable assembly

A cable assembly comprising:

• a first cable module including first cables, a first ground shield electrically connected to the first cables, and first signal contacts electrically connected to the first cables, each first cable including a first cable conductor, a first insulator holding the first cable conductor and a first cable shield surrounding the first insulator, the first ground shield being electrically connected to the first cable shield of each first cable, the first ground shield including first ground beams extending to first ground mating interfaces, the first ground mating interfaces configured to be coupled to first circuit board ground contacts on a circuit board, each first signal contact having a first terminating pad terminated to the corresponding first cable conductor, each first signal contact having a first signal beam extending to a first signal mating interface, the first signal mating interfaces of the first signal contacts configured to be coupled to first circuit board signal contacts on the circuit board, wherein the first signal beams and the first ground beams are arranged in a first row;
• a second cable module including second cables, a second ground shield electrically connected to the second cables, and second signal contacts electrically connected to the second cables, each second cable including a second cable conductor, a second insulator holding the second cable conductor and a second cable shield surrounding the second insulator, the second ground shield being electrically connected to the second cable shield of each second cable, the second ground shield including second ground beams extending to second ground mating interfaces, the second ground mating interfaces configured to be coupled to second circuit board ground contacts on a circuit board, each second signal contact having a second terminating pad terminated to the corresponding second cable conductor, each second signal contact having a second signal beam extending to a second signal mating interface, the second signal mating interfaces of the second signal contacts configured to be coupled to second circuit board signal contacts on the circuit board, wherein the second signal beams and the second ground beams are arranged in a second row;
• and
• a housing holding the first and second cable modules, the housing having a front and a rear, the housing having a mounting end configured to be mounted to the circuit board, the housing including first contact channels receiving the first ground beams and the first signal beams, the housing including second contact channels receiving the second ground beams and the second signal beams, wherein the first ground mating interfaces and the first signal mating interfaces are exposed at the mounting end in the first row for interfacing with the circuit board, and wherein the second ground mating interfaces and the second signal mating interfaces are exposed at the mounting end in the second row for interfacing with the circuit board, the second row being offset rearward from the first row.