Results of absorption, emission and fluorescence lifetime measurements (for the I-4(13/2)-I-4(15/2) transition) are presented for lead fluoroborate glasses doped with different concentrations of Er3+ varying from 0.22 x 10(20) ions/cm(3) to 5.96 x 10(20) ions/cm(3). The calculated Judd-Ofelt parameters are: Omega(2) = (1.2 +/- 0.1) x 10(-20) cm(2), Omega(4) = (0.59 +/- 0.04) x 10(-20) and Omega(6) = (0.42 +/- 0.03) 10(-20) cm(2). The emission cross-sections are calculated using McCumber and Fuchtbauer-Ladenburg methods. The sample with 2.20 x 10(20) ions/cm(3) has an emission cross-section with maximum of 0.46 x 10(-20) cm(2), at 1532nm, fluorescence effective bandwidth of 66nm and fluorescence lifetime of about I ins. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.