A beam alignment method for an antenna array is provided. In the method, a base station adopts a plurality of multi-modal beam patterns as beam patterns for transmitting synchronization signals. A user equipment scans the synchronization signals, determines the synchronization signal with strongest received power and a receive beam direction corresponding thereto, and transmits an initial access message including an index information explicitly or implicitly indicating the strongest synchronization signal through a random access channel. The base station receives the initial access message on the random access channel by using a plurality of single-modal beam patterns, determines the single-modal beam pattern with a strongest access power for the initial access message, and determines an optimal beam direction for the transmission to the user equipment by comparing the determined single-modal beam pattern with the strongest access power and a main lobe of the multi-modal beam pattern corresponding to the index information included in the initial access message. |