Er2O3‐doped PbO‐Bi2O3‐Ga2O3 glasses were prepared through the conventional melt‐quenching method, and the energy transfer mechanisms in Er3+ were investigated. The fluorescent emission at 2.73 μm, which is normally quenched in silicate glasses, became evident because of the low phonon energy of PbO‐Bi2O3‐Ga2O3 glasses. The measured lifetime of the upper level of 4I11/2 was 0.9 ms, and it decreased to ∼0.6 ms with increased Er3+ concentration. When the concentration of Er2O3 was 0.05 wt%, the coefficient of the cross‐relaxation rate for the 4I11/2 level was ∼18 times larger than that of the 4I13/2 level. On the other hand, the interaction parameter of energy migration was considerably larger for the 4I13/2 level (∼52 × 10−40 cm6·s−1) compared with the 4I11/2 level (∼3.1 × 10−40 cm6·s−1). Therefore, the major energy transfer mechanism associated with the 4I13/2 level was migration induced, whereas that for the 4I11/2 level was direct cross relaxation of 4I11/2:4I11/2→4F7/2:4I15/2.