Techniques to support operation in a compressed mode and/or a continuous packet connectivity (CPC) mode are described. In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) may obtain an assignment of enabled subframes for the CPC mode and an assignment of transmission gaps for the compressed mode. The transmission gaps may be aligned with idle times between the enabled subframes. The UE may exchange data during enabled subframes not overlapping the transmission gaps and may skip data exchanges during enabled subframes overlapping the transmission gaps. The UE may make cell measurements during the transmission gaps. In another aspect, the UE may obtain enabled subframes and skipped subframes, exchange data during enabled subframes not corresponding to the skipped subframes, and skip data exchanges during the skipped subframes. In yet another aspect, the UE may receive orders on a shared control channel to quickly enable and disable the compressed mode.