Different xCuO-(50-x)PbO-50B(2)O(3) glasses were prepared. The optical transport properties of thin sheets were investigated. The optical density and the transmission showed a large band peaking at the wavelengtgh lambda approximate to 800 nm and a noticeable coloring corresponding to lambda = 500 nm. The high-frequency dielectric constant and the refractive index were calculated from the reflection using a computer program. The electrical measurements carried out showed semiconductor behavior of the conductivity as a function of temperature. The activation energies (E-a) for the conduction process indicated a thermally activated hopping mechanism. The calculated E-a values are typically 0.72-0.82 eV. They are higher than those calculated from the optical measurements (0.62-0.7 eV). (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.