A method and apparatus for synchronization in an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system including at least one base station and a plurality of wireless transmit/receive units (WTRUs). A secondary synchronization channel (S-SCH) symbol is generated to include cell-specific information. The S-SCH symbol is mapped to the center of the available bandwidth of the system. In one embodiment, the S-SCH symbol is transmitted on different subcarriers at different sectors in the system. In another embodiment, the S-SCH symbol is transmitted on the same subcarriers at different sectors in the system.