Performance is improved in certain M2M devices by suppressing explicit network registration or attachment. The described techniques may be used, for example, by M2M devices that periodically or occasionally transmit event data using wireless communication networks without needing to receive periodic or on-demand communications from the network for regular operation. In some embodiments, an M2M device may continue to monitor pilot channels of available wireless networks, select a particular network for communication from among the available wireless networks, and monitor system information for the selected network without registering on the selected network. The M2M device may suppress explicit registration based on one or more explicit registration triggers associated with the selected network. The M2M device may be implicitly registered as part of the network access transmitting the captured or measured event data to the selected network. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also claimed and described.