Er3+-doped gallium tellurite glasses have been fabricated and characterized. Efficient green and red upconversion luminescence, and strong infrared fluorescence at 1.53 mum wavelength were observed under the excitation of a 975 nm diode laser at room temperature. The visible upconversion emission bands centered at 524, 546 and 669 nm have been confirmed that two photons contribute to the upconversion processes. The emission peak locates at 1.53 mum with a full-width at half-maximum of similar to58 nm, and the calculated peak emission cross-section is 8.54 x 10(-21) cm(2). These values are larger than those in silicate and phosphate glasses. Efficient visible upconversion and infrared luminescence indicate that Er3+-doped gallium tellurite glass is a promising laser and amplifier materials. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.