Er3+-doped 50SiO2-(502x) PbO-xPbF glasses were prepared. The effect of PbF content on refractive indices, densities, absorptionspectra, the Judd-Ofelt parameters Ωt (t52,4,6), fluorescence spectra and the lifetimes of I level of Er in 50SiO2-(502x) PbO-t13-2xPbF glasses were investigated, and the stimulated emission cross-section was calculated from McCumber theory. With increasing PbF2 content in the glass composition, the V parameter, fluorescence full width at half maximum (FWHM) and lifetimes of I level of Ω6 Er increase, while refractive indices and densities decrease. Compared with other glass hosts, the gain bandwidth properties of 31 Er-doped 50SiO2-50PbF glass is close to those of tellurite and bismuth glasses, and has an advantage over those of silicate, phosphateand germante glasses. The broad and flat → emission of Er around 1.55mm can be used as host material for potential broadband optical amplifier in the wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) network system.