A delegate-based group channel access method is disclosed for machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. The delegate-based group channel access method groups M2M devices having common characteristics together, assigns a single delegate or multiple delegates from the group according to some criteria, and uses the assigned delegate to perform channel access. This method avoids unnecessary peer-to-peer communication between M2M devices, reduces the probability of collision on the channel during initial channel access, and reduces the control signaling overhead. The, delegate-based group channel access method also coordinates the number of slots to backoff so that all M2M devices in the group keep pace with the delegate.