The application describes an apparatus including a non-transitory memory including instructions to perform random access in a beam sweeping network having a cell. The network includes a downlink sweeping subframe, an uplink sweeping subframe and a regular sweeping subframe. The apparatus also includes a processor operably coupled to the non-transitory memory. The processor is configured to execute the instructions of selecting an optimal downlink transmission beam transmitted by the cell during the downlink sweeping subframe. The processor is also configured to execute the instructions of determining an optimal downlink reception beam from the optimal downlink transmission beam. The processor is further configured to execute the instructions of determining a random access preamble and a physical random access channel (PRACH) resource via resource selection from the optimal downlink transmission beam. The processor is even further configured to execute the instructions of transmitting, to a node, the selected random access preamble via the PRACH resource and an uplink transmission beam of the uplink subframe.