Two preamble partition schemes are provided for flexible network deployment and efficient utilization of limited cell identification resources in a wireless network. In a soft partition scheme, the entire preamble sequences are partitioned into several configurable non-overlapping subsets, and each subset is associated with a corresponding cell type. In a hybrid partition scheme, a combination of fixed and configurable subsets is used for preamble partition. The partitioning information is carried in a broadcasting channel broadcasted from base stations to mobile stations. In one embodiment, after a mobile station performs scanning and synchronization with a first base station, it derives the cell type of the first base station from cell identification and partitioning information. The mobile station completes ranging and network entry with the first base station if the cell type is preferred, and starts to perform scanning and synchronization with a second base station if the cell type is non-preferred.