A method for paging priority and wireless access which includes receiving, at a base station and from a core network, a paging message associated with a priority connection from a first user equipment device (UE) having an elevated priority status, to a second UE having a non-elevated priority status. The method further includes determining, at the base station, that non-elevated priority wireless access channels are congested, detecting, at the base station, a priority indicator within the received paging message in response to determining that the non-elevated priority wireless access channels are congested. The method further includes caching, at the base station, an identifier of the second UE in response to detecting the priority indicator in the received paging message, and establishing a wireless connection between the first UE and the second UE upon verifying that the identifier of the second UE has been cached.