Methods, systems, devices, and computer program products are described for network scaling. In one example, candidate cells may be selected and ranked. For an initial assessment, the selected cells may operate at a significantly reduced power, and the network performance may be evaluated. Based on the results, only a subset of the candidate cells may be switched off. The whole process may be repeated until all the candidate cells are evaluated. Network downscaling may be done at a site level, a sector level, or a hybrid (site level first, and then additional downscaling by sector level).