This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for selecting a beam to be allocated for transmitting downlink (DL) data to user equipment (UE). In some implementations, a UE receives a reference signal on each of a number of beams associated with a base station, and determines a delay spread value for each beam. The UE identifies each beam for which the determined channel delay spread value is less than a threshold value, and determines a reference signal received power (RSRP) level for each identified beam. The UE transmits an indication of the determined RSRP levels of the identified beams to the base station, and receives, in response to the transmitted indication, a selection of the beam to be allocated for DL transmissions to the UE.