(Reuters) BT Cellnet will change its name to that of its new parent company mmO2 Plc later this year, and a senior mmO2 executive has said the new brand will be promoted on a different Premier League shirt next season.
Media reports say Premier League clubs including Fulham, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Blackburn Rovers are all looking for new sponsors, while Sunderland has yet to sign a deal for next season.
Cellnet would continue to lend its name to Middlesbrough's stadium, the BT Cellnet Riverside, until 2005 unless the new shirt sponsor opted to buy the stadium name rights.
Cellnet rivals Vodafone and One 2 One, owned by Deutsche Telekom , sponsor premier league clubs Manchester United and Everton, respectively.
MmO2 was the mobile division of BT Group Plc before being demerged last November.
Mobile phone company BT Cellnet will drop its sponsorship of English Premier League soccer club Middlesbrough after the season ends in May.
