We propose and demonstrate Sodium Zinc Molybdenum Tellurite glasses (Na 2 O-ZnO-MoO 3 -TeO 2 or NZMT) as suitable hosts for rare earth ion Holmium (Ho 3+ ) operating at 1.2m and 1.37m wavelength. The density, the refractive indices, the optical absorption have been measured. The Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters Ω 2, Ω 4, Ω 6, the radiative rates, the branching ratios, and the fluorescence lifetimes were calculated from Judd-Ofelt theory. Intense 1.2µm ( 5 I 6 → 5 I 8 ) and 1.37µm ( 5 S 2 , 5 F

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... 4 → 5 I 5 ) emissions were observed in these glass systems under 539nm excitation. The bandwidth of the 5 I 6  5 I 8 and 5 S 2 , 5 F 4 → 5 I 5 transitions are ~60nm and 61nm , respectively. Measured fluorescence lifetimes of the 5 I 6  5 I 8 (1.2m) and 5 S 2 , 5 F 4 → 5 I 5 (1.37 m) decay at room temperature were 281s and 43.5s, respectively, and their quantum efficiencies were approximately 9.3% and 22%. From our data, it appears that Ho 3+ -doped NZMT glasses are promising materials for waveguide lasers and amplifiers operation at 1.1-1.4m wavelength range.