A method performed by a user equipment, UE, to access a communications network, wherein the UE is associated with a coverage class from a set of two or more coverage classes, each coverage class being associated with transmission of a different number of repetitions of a random access preamble sequence for performing network access, the set of two or more coverage classes sharing a frequency band, the method comprising: generating a Single-Carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access, SC-FDMA, random access preamble signal comprising two or more consecutive preamble symbol groups, each preamble symbol group comprising a cyclic prefix portion and a plurality of symbols occupying a single subcarrier of the SC-FDMA random access preamble signal, wherein the single subcarrier for at least one of the preamble symbol groups corresponds to a first subcarrier frequency and the single subcarrier for an immediately subsequent one of the preamble symbol groups corresponds to a second subcarrier frequency; and initiating network access by transmitting the random access preamble signal at a starting opportunity related to the coverage class of the user equipment, such that collision in the shared frequency band is avoided between the coverage class of the user equipment and at least one higher coverage class of other user equipment; and backing off from any possible starting opportunities related to the coverage class of the user equipment that collide with one or more possible starting opportunities related to the at least one higher coverage class of the other user equipment, wherein the at least one higher coverage class is associated with a greater number of repetitions of a random access preamble sequence than the number of repetitions associated with the coverage class of the user equipment. generating a Single-Carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access, SC-FDMA, random access preamble signal comprising two or more consecutive preamble symbol groups, each preamble symbol group comprising a cyclic prefix portion and a plurality of symbols occupying a single subcarrier of the SC-FDMA random access preamble signal, wherein the single subcarrier for at least one of the preamble symbol groups corresponds to a first subcarrier frequency and the single subcarrier for an immediately subsequent one of the preamble symbol groups corresponds to a second subcarrier frequency; and initiating network access by transmitting the random access preamble signal at a starting opportunity related to the coverage class of the user equipment, such that collision in the shared frequency band is avoided between the coverage class of the user equipment and at least one higher coverage class of other user equipment; and backing off from any possible starting opportunities related to the coverage class of the user equipment that collide with one or more possible starting opportunities related to the at least one higher coverage class of the other user equipment, wherein the at least one higher coverage class is associated with a greater number of repetitions of a random access preamble sequence than the number of repetitions associated with the coverage class of the user equipment.