Covenant Battle Network

"I've hacked into the Covenant battlenet. They're actually broadcasting tactical data on unencrypted channels. We should show them who they're dealing with."

- Cortana to the Master Chief.

The Covenant Battle Network, or BattleNet, is the term for Covenant communication systems maintained to allow instantaneous contact between units, vessels and planets. It is the equivalent to the human COM system.

Covenant Battle Network channels are sometimes broadcast on the same frequencies as the COM, but to date, there is no explanation why; given the fact that this would broadcast the communications of both sides and potentially give ample battleplans. The Battle Net can be isolated for deep space broadcast, as well as inter-ship and between units. It should also be noted that the Battle Net was broadcast over all of Installation 04 and by monitoring it, Cortana was able to discern Covenant activity over the ring. In the original Halo, Cortana used John 117's in-suit communications array to access the BattleNet. Battle Network channels are also commonly unencrypted, likely because the Covenant did not believe humans posed a threat and thought that their extinction was imminent and unavoidable.

The Battle Net is standard equipment aboard all Covenant vessels, but ground communication is best made using Uplink Crates.

The Covenant inter-ship Battle Net has a curious feature: a system of communicating orders throughout the Covenant fleet. Transmissions carry embedded sub communiques containing orders for ships to various jumps, rendezvous and tasks. The efficient system allows Covenant orders to circulate more quickly throughout the Covenant.

However, it seems to have poor counter-intrusion security as AIs like Cortana seem to have no problem in hacking it.

The first time that the Battlenet was mentioned is on level  Halo of Halo: Combat Evolved.

Covenant Battle Network Frequencies
These frequencies are most commonly used by the Covenant, but it seems that they occasionally utilize the UNSC D- and E- Bands.
 * Covenant F-Band
 * Covenant G-Band
 * Covenant H-Band
 * Covenant I-Band
 * Covenant J-Band
 * Covenant K-Band

Trivia

 * There was a parody of the Avenue Q song, 'The Internet is for Porn', titled, 'The BattleNet is for Porn'.
 * The Covenant BattleNet shares its name with Blizzard Entertainment's Battle.Net, and online gaming server.
 * The Battlenet possibly became obsolete after the Battle of Installation 04 because it was accessed so easily by Cortana. This would explain why the Battlenet is never mentioned again after the Level, "The Arbiter," after Rtas' Vadam's quote of "Your local Battlenet is in disarray".