SHENZHEN has pledged to invest CNY12 billion (US$1.7 billion) in infrastructure over the next two years, as the city aims to take a lead in flying taxis and delivery drones, reports Hong Kong's South China Morning Post.

Shenzhen aims to build over 1,200 take-off and landing platforms by 2026, creating a new network to enable air travel, logistics, community delivery and urban governance services, the municipal Development and Reform Commission said on Tuesday, according to a reports Shenzhen Economic Daily.

Shenzhen had built 249 take-off and landing facilities by the middle of this year, and aims to add 147 more by the end of this year. It is planning to complete another 658 facilities in 2025, according to the report, citing the city's transport bureau.

The city will also build more than 8,000 new 5G-Advanced base stations to bolster wireless network coverage for airspace below 600 metres and launch the Smart Integrated Lower Airspace System, dubbed the "brain for lower airspace," by the end of this year, according to the report.