Methods and apparatus for initial cell search and selection using beamforming are described. An apparatus is configured with multiple receive beams and includes an antenna and a processor. The processor is operatively coupled to the antenna and sweeps a respective one of the multiple receive beams during each of multiple synchronization sub-frames, using a pre-defined sweep time and dwell period, to detect a synchronization signal. The processor also obtains symbol timing information and a synchronization signal index from the detected synchronization signal. The obtained synchronization signal index corresponds to a synchronization signal index of the set. The process decodes a first broadcast channel using the obtained symbol timing information, the obtained synchronization signal index and a predefined or blind-coded symbol distance between the detected synchronization signal and the first broadcast channel. The process decodes a second broadcast channel using information obtained from decoding the first broadcast channel.