SYSTEM UND VERFAHREN ZUR KANALVERGABE MIT PRIORITÄTSZUGRIFF IN EINEM ZELLULAREN TELEFONSYSTEM

A priority access channel assignment system and a messaging protocol allow wireless mobile stations to place calls having differing priority levels. A mobile station originates a call, which may automatically include a request for priority access or may require manual intervention by the user to request priority access. If system resources are unavailable to process the call immediately, the origination message is processed by a base station and a mobile switching center using a plurality of messaging protocols to determine the time at which the call was originated and a priority level associated with the call. Based on the priority level and arrival time, the base station places the call in an appropriate position within a queue. Higher priority calls are placed in a higher position in the queue than lower priority calls. Calls having identical priority are placed in the queue in order of the time of arrival.