A wide variety of different types of communication cables and composite cables incorporate twisted pair conductors. In twisted pair cables, signal performance may be degraded due to a wide variety of factors, including signal attenuation and crosstalk. Crosstalk typically occurs when a signal transmitted on one channel (e.g., a first twisted pair) creates an undesired effect in another channel (e.g., a second twisted pair). Crosstalk is usually caused by undesired capacitive, inductive, or conductive coupling from one channel to another. In certain conventional cables, such as cables described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,506,976 and U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2013/0014972, dielectric films have been positioned between the individual conductors of twisted pairs in an attempt to reduce crosstalk.
Additionally, many cable constructions incorporate shielding in order to limit interference on the twisted pairs, including crosstalk between twisted pairs and external interference. In some cables, individual shields are provided for twisted pairs. However, because individual shields are constructed as separate elements around a twisted pair, the shields may move or shift relative to the twisted pair conductors, leading to degraded performance. There is also potential for the shields to become unwrapped, which may also result in degraded electrical performance. Accordingly, there is an opportunity for improved twisted pair cables that incorporate components that serve both as dielectric separators between the conductors of a twisted pair and as shields for the twisted pairs.