A method for acquiring a primary synchronization signal, the method comprising: receiving a radio frequency, RF, broadcast signal at user equipment; performing, with the user equipment, a time domain differential correlation between a first section of the RF broadcast signal and a second section of the RF broadcast signal; summing together, with the user equipment, sections of an output of the time domain differential correlation that are separated by a preconfigured distance; identifying, with the user equipment, a preconfigured number of peak values in results of the summing; converting, with the user equipment, the first section and the second section of the RF broadcast signal into frequency domain versions of the first section and the second section that are localized to locations of the preconfigured number of peak values; performing, with the user equipment, frequency domain differential correlations between the frequency domain versions of the first section and the second section; identifying, with the user equipment, maximum values of a ratio between outputs of the frequency domain differential correlations; identifying, with the user equipment, ones of the maximum values of the ratio that are greater than or equal to a preconfigured threshold value; searching, with the user equipment, for a primary synchronization signal, PSS, in localized regions of the RF broadcast signal, wherein the localized regions are defined in the time domain by the preconfigured number of peak values in the results of the summing and in the frequency domain by the ones of the maximum values of the ratio that are greater than or equal to a preconfigured threshold value. receiving a radio frequency, RF, broadcast signal at user equipment; performing, with the user equipment, a time domain differential correlation between a first section of the RF broadcast signal and a second section of the RF broadcast signal; summing together, with the user equipment, sections of an output of the time domain differential correlation that are separated by a preconfigured distance; identifying, with the user equipment, a preconfigured number of peak values in results of the summing; converting, with the user equipment, the first section and the second section of the RF broadcast signal into frequency domain versions of the first section and the second section that are localized to locations of the preconfigured number of peak values; performing, with the user equipment, frequency domain differential correlations between the frequency domain versions of the first section and the second section; identifying, with the user equipment, maximum values of a ratio between outputs of the frequency domain differential correlations; identifying, with the user equipment, ones of the maximum values of the ratio that are greater than or equal to a preconfigured threshold value; searching, with the user equipment, for a primary synchronization signal, PSS, in localized regions of the RF broadcast signal, wherein the localized regions are defined in the time domain by the preconfigured number of peak values in the results of the summing and in the frequency domain by the ones of the maximum values of the ratio that are greater than or equal to a preconfigured threshold value.