Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described that provide for aggregating random access requests across two or more physical random access channel (PRACH) occasions. Poor channel quality may inhibit the receipt of random access requests, and for user equipments (UEs) located in areas with relatively poor coverage, such aggregated random access requests may have an increased likelihood of successful receipt at a base station. The base station may configure a number of PRACH occasions to be available for aggregation of random access requests. A UE may receive PRACH configuration information from the base station, may aggregate a random access request across two or more PRACH occasions using the PRACH configuration information, and may transmit the aggregated random access request via the PRACH occasions. The base station may also configure one or more PRACH occasions to have a smaller subcarrier spacing for transmission of a random access request.