<p>TORONTO (Reuters) - A U.S. federal agency that has been phasing out the BlackBerry in favor of the iPhone said on Thursday it would test Research In Motion's new BB10 smartphones, fueling a fresh spurt in RIM's shares ahead of the new line's launch.</p><p>Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will begin a pilot program early next year to test the new line and the software to manage them on its network.</p><p>The news, which sent RIM shares up more than 6 percent on Thursday morning, extends a weeks-long rally that has pushed the stock to its highest close in more than seven months.</p><p>Investors have warmed to the stock - which had lost about 75 percent of its value in the last two years - on evidence that the make-or-break BB10 line is gaining traction with RIM's bread-and-butter customers in the weeks before its January 30 launch.</p><p><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/13/us-rim-shares-idUSBRE8BB1TQ20121213">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.thespec.com/whatson/article/853749--blackberry-10-we-get-a-sneak-peek-at-rim-s-new-software">BlackBerry 10: We get a sneak peek at RIM&#039;s new software</a> (Hamilton Spectator)</p><p><a href="http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/12/blackberry-gets-chance-to-justify-its-gov-existence-with-bb-10-trial/">BlackBerry gets chance to justify its .gov existence with BB 10 trial</a> (Ars Technica)</p><p><a href="http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/us-government-agency-will-test-new-blackberry-10">US government agency will test new BlackBerry 10</a> (Alaska Dispatch)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dmZA-U9Yf4GuRNM_5aTESt86UuuMM&ned=us">628 additional articles.</a></p>