A wireless communication method and apparatus for selecting and reselecting cells used by a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) in a wireless multi-cell communication system. The WTRU includes a switched beam antenna configured to form a plurality of directional beams and an omni-directional beam pattern. The WTRU measures signals from a plurality of cells using the directional beams and the omni-directional beam pattern. The WTRU selects and registers with the cell having the strongest signal. In one embodiment, the WTRU selects a directional beam which has the strongest signal and uses it as an active beam to communicate with the selected cell. In another embodiment, the WTRU selects a cell/beam combination and registers with the selected cell using the selected beam. In yet another embodiment, the WTRU initiates a handoff to a neighboring cell that has a better signal measurement result than the selected cell.