A computer implemented method for operating a user equipment, UE, the method comprising: detecting, by the UE, that a first request type of a first request is not a beam failure recovery request, BFRQ, wherein the first request is a handover request type, and based thereon: selecting, by the UE, a first random access resource for transmitting the first request, wherein the first random access resource is selected from a first subset of one or more random access resources, and wherein the one or more random access resources in the first subset are associated with a communications beam serving the UE, and transmitting, by the UE to an access node, the first request in the first random access resource; and detecting, by the UE, that a second request type of a second request is a BFRQ, and based thereon, selecting, by the UE, a second random access resource for transmitting the second request, wherein the second random access resource is selected from a second subset of one or more random access resources, and wherein the one or more random access resources in the second subset are unassociated with the communications beam serving the UE, and transmitting, by the UE to the access node, the second request in the second random access resource, wherein the BFRQ includes at least a beam recovery random access channel, BRACH, preamble; and a location of the preamble in the time, frequency, or sequence domain coveys information about an identity of a candidate beam that is detected by the UE in accordance with measurements of reference signals transmitted by the access node on different beams of the access node. detecting, by the UE, that a first request type of a first request is not a beam failure recovery request, BFRQ, wherein the first request is a handover request type, and based thereon: selecting, by the UE, a first random access resource for transmitting the first request, wherein the first random access resource is selected from a first subset of one or more random access resources, and wherein the one or more random access resources in the first subset are associated with a communications beam serving the UE, and transmitting, by the UE to an access node, the first request in the first random access resource; and selecting, by the UE, a first random access resource for transmitting the first request, wherein the first random access resource is selected from a first subset of one or more random access resources, and wherein the one or more random access resources in the first subset are associated with a communications beam serving the UE, and transmitting, by the UE to an access node, the first request in the first random access resource; and detecting, by the UE, that a second request type of a second request is a BFRQ, and based thereon, selecting, by the UE, a second random access resource for transmitting the second request, wherein the second random access resource is selected from a second subset of one or more random access resources, and wherein the one or more random access resources in the second subset are unassociated with the communications beam serving the UE, and transmitting, by the UE to the access node, the second request in the second random access resource, selecting, by the UE, a second random access resource for transmitting the second request, wherein the second random access resource is selected from a second subset of one or more random access resources, and wherein the one or more random access resources in the second subset are unassociated with the communications beam serving the UE, and transmitting, by the UE to the access node, the second request in the second random access resource, wherein the BFRQ includes at least a beam recovery random access channel, BRACH, preamble; and a location of the preamble in the time, frequency, or sequence domain coveys information about an identity of a candidate beam that is detected by the UE in accordance with measurements of reference signals transmitted by the access node on different beams of the access node.