I know the brother that started this and the few he has working for him that run it. Hopefully admitting this won't lead to identifying myself.
I'm actually surprised that Bethel hasn't tried to capitalize on this and directly offer kingdom halls this service (at a suggested contribution of $2.43 per publisher - wink wink)- but I wonder if it's because the guy running it, would be put out of business faster than an armani suit disappears from a bethel hopper. He was a former bethelite (and I think they like that he takes on all the liability for failed operation issues)- and I know he's been up to bethel a few times to discuss his operation. It wouldn't surprise me, if they have informally meddled in his pricing structure - you know to look after the friends' best interest.
They have asked him to change the name of his company to 'generic conferencing' or something like that - although they allowed the website address khconf.com to continue.
But as far as him banking in the big bucks - I know there are just a few employees altogether, probably less than 10. It would seem that the potential to rake it in is there - and I'm guessing he nets six figures easily - if not, it's because he's doing it wrong. The cost is pretty much the cost of his Asterisk servers (renting or owning - he probably does both being as he's gone international now) and the phone numbers and the block of minutes with each of those numbers - I can tell you the latter is not a lot. Creating an asterisk server is pretty darn cheap too.
Kingdom halls could basically do this themselves with an old computer and it might cost a couple bucks a month - (tops!) plus an internet connection. But then you'd have to have someone knowledgeable to make sure the machine stays up and running.
As for competitors - there are actually many out there - and savy halls with know-how bros are starting to use them - there are actually some free services out there that some halls use. But this guy has thousands of congregations as his clients and while I remember him as kind of an arrogant prick, I still gotta hand it to him, wish I would've thought of it. The good news for him, is that he's got an overlapping generation that has many years and decades of meetings left - with more and more getting older and infirm. I'd say if he keeps doing this right and keeping everyone at bethel happy - he better get rich. I'd guess he probably already is - but plays it like he's not.
