A method, a mobile device, and a wireless system provide wireless local communication systems and methods from Wide Area Network (WAN) fallback allowing proximate users to maintain connectivity therebetween while WAN connectivity is lost. The wireless local communication systems and methods leverage access point credentials for the WAN to set up local wireless communication amongst the mobile devices when WAN connectivity is lost or when commanded to do so. Local mobile device users can maintain communication such as in a talkgroup while WAN connectivity is disrupted or undesired. The systems and methods include an algorithm where a first mobile device identifies the loss of WAN connectivity and becomes a WAN access point for other proximate mobile devices which share common preconfigured credentials. Subsequent mobile devices which detect the loss of WAN connectivity can associate with the AP thereby maintaining local communication using local wireless connectivity techniques.