A user device (102, 400) comprising: a memory to store data; a network interface device communicably coupled to the memory; a processing device, coupled to the memory and the network interface device; and a data prioritization subsystem executed from the memory by the processing device and communicably coupled to the network interface device, the data prioritization subsystem configured to: detect that an application identified for prioritized data transfer is starting on the user device (102, 400); and for each protocol layer of a subset of protocol layers: copy a signaling message sent from a server, wherein the signaling message previously established a data radio bearer channel on the subset of protocol layers on the network interface device; update a priority parameter of the copied signaling message to be higher than any priority parameters of DRB entities of a same protocol layer; use the signaling message to establish an application transport bearer entity at the protocol layer; and at each ATB entity, prioritize any portion of any data packet originating from the application identified for prioritized data transfer over one or more other data packets processed at any network-established DRB entities on the same protocol layer. a memory to store data; a network interface device communicably coupled to the memory; a processing device, coupled to the memory and the network interface device; and a data prioritization subsystem executed from the memory by the processing device and communicably coupled to the network interface device, the data prioritization subsystem configured to: detect that an application identified for prioritized data transfer is starting on the user device (102, 400); and for each protocol layer of a subset of protocol layers: copy a signaling message sent from a server, wherein the signaling message previously established a data radio bearer channel on the subset of protocol layers on the network interface device; update a priority parameter of the copied signaling message to be higher than any priority parameters of DRB entities of a same protocol layer; use the signaling message to establish an application transport bearer entity at the protocol layer; and at each ATB entity, prioritize any portion of any data packet originating from the application identified for prioritized data transfer over one or more other data packets processed at any network-established DRB entities on the same protocol layer. detect that an application identified for prioritized data transfer is starting on the user device (102, 400); and for each protocol layer of a subset of protocol layers: copy a signaling message sent from a server, wherein the signaling message previously established a data radio bearer channel on the subset of protocol layers on the network interface device; update a priority parameter of the copied signaling message to be higher than any priority parameters of DRB entities of a same protocol layer; use the signaling message to establish an application transport bearer entity at the protocol layer; and at each ATB entity, prioritize any portion of any data packet originating from the application identified for prioritized data transfer over one or more other data packets processed at any network-established DRB entities on the same protocol layer. copy a signaling message sent from a server, wherein the signaling message previously established a data radio bearer channel on the subset of protocol layers on the network interface device; update a priority parameter of the copied signaling message to be higher than any priority parameters of DRB entities of a same protocol layer; use the signaling message to establish an application transport bearer entity at the protocol layer; and at each ATB entity, prioritize any portion of any data packet originating from the application identified for prioritized data transfer over one or more other data packets processed at any network-established DRB entities on the same protocol layer.