Method and apparatus for a synchronization channel in an OFDMA system

A method for use in a wireless communication device including receiver circuitry for receiving and demodulating an orthogonal frequency domain multiple access (OFDMA) signal including a synchronization channel signal and a controller for detecting the synchronization channel signal, the method comprising the steps of:

• the receiver circuitry receiving the OFDMA signal including the synchronization channel signal from a base station transmitting the OFDMA signal, the synchronization channel signal comprising a plurality of synchronization channel signal sequence elements, wherein cell identification associated with the base station transmitting the OFDMA signal comprising first and second partial cell identification information;
• the controller detecting first and second synchronization channel signals of the synchronization channel signal within the OFDMA signal, the first and second synchronization channel signals comprising respective first and second sets of one or more individual sequence elements, the first set of one or more individual sequence elements based on a generalized chirp like (GCL) sequence and the second set of one or more individual sequence elements based on a cyclically shifted maximal length binary sequence;
• and
• the controller further determining the first partial cell identification information in response to a sequence index of the GCL sequence of the first set of one or more individual sequence elements and determining the second partial cell identification information in response to an amount of cyclic shift of the maximal length binary sequence of the second set of one or more individual sequence elements.