If you happen to be a North Idaho resident signed up with Spectrum internet services, you’re likely to see a bit of a boost in the coming weeks.

Spectrum, a subsidiary of Charter Communications, announced that existing customers receiving the basic 100 Mbps speed — which translates to a maximum of roughly 100 megabits per second in download speed — will now receive 200 Mbps per second, at no additional cost.

“This is something we’re doing across the country,” Senior Communications Director Bret Picciolo said. “By next week, it will have impacted about 40% of our footprint, including our customers in Coeur d’Alene.”

“Coeur d’Alene is now part of a growing number of Spectrum communities, comprising millions of homes, where our internet starting speed is now 200 Mbps,” Danielle Wade, Spectrum area vice president, said in a statement. “We’re delivering internet customers even more speed for streaming, surfing and social media.”

The residential service should take effect by Nov. 1, Picciolo said, though customers might not realize the speed boost at first.

“In the past, people talked about how many songs they could download or how many movies they could watch before it slowed down,” he said. “Because the free market has driven data demands up, Spectrum is now at a point where we recognize the customer will feel the most impact: How many devices can you use?”

Picciolo said the faster speeds should be able to increase the number of devices dramatically. A recent speed test conducted by the Coeur d’Alene Press saw a 100 Mbps-package signal strength in Hayden measuring between 44 Mbps and 86 Mbps. That top speed of 86 Mbps allowed four devices to stream Netflix without buffering. Adding an additional tablet led to buffering on three devices.

“That’s the biggest impact,” Picciolo said. “That’s the way the world is now. We found our customers need more devices in a changing digital climate. Multiple devices mean an increase in demand.”

When asked if the recent introduction of competitor TDS into the North Idaho marketplace had any influence over the decision, Picciolo dismissed the notion.

“This is a nationwide campaign,” he said. “This was a result from seeing more customers maximizing the 100 Mbps capabilities.”

He added, however, that TDS, which began hiring in July for its introduction into the local marketplace, represents a positive trend from competition.

“Really, we operate in a very competitive industry,” he said. “We’re always looking to improve, and I think healthy competition is a great way for customers to enjoy the most benefits and the lowest cost.”

Some Spectrum customers use modems that are not compatible with the new speeds. Both Picciolo and Wade said Spectrum would proactively reach out to those customers and provide proper modems at no additional cost.