J.P. Morgan & Co. said it is the first banking company to offer a service that lets bond issuers and investors do business using wireless devices.
SynDirect Wireless, introduced this week, lets users check bond prices, express interest in pending debt issues, place orders, and make trades. Morgan is offering the service free to its clients in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Wireless access extends the reach of Morgan's SynDirect Web site, which was started in the first quarter as an alternative to direct dealings with a traditional sales force. The wireless devices show the same screen interfaces as the Web site.
"We're a little ahead of the curve," said Dave Olsen, Morgan's head of electronic syndication in New York. "We'll see a dramatic change in the way our clients interact with us as people juggle their time. We're not waiting to catch up to demand."
An in-house team of technologists and consultants developed both the wireless and Internet versions of SynDirect, which is focused on the bond market and other fixed-income securities rather than on loans or equities. Morgan is considering selling SynDirect to other institutions as a private-label service.
Immediate beneficiaries of SynDirect Wireless are executives involved in road shows, Mr. Olsen said. "Live connectivity from the road is enormously valuable," he said.
Demand for SynDirect has been "quite strong from issuers first and foremost, with investors showing a broad range of reactions," he said. He would not say how many SynDirect users there are.
In the United States, the wireless service is available on a Palm VII Handheld Connected Organizer. In Europe and Asia, users can gain access to it through mobile phones running the Wireless Application Protocol. Any user can download the software from a desktop to a mobile device.
The development of SynDirect Wireless comes after other recent technology product introductions from Morgan in the fixed income market. In January, it launched MarketAxxess, an independent company offering a transaction platform for multiple dealers. In March, along with other companies, it started Securities.Hub, a company that plays host to online portals linking securities firms and dealers with institutional investors worldwide.
