Er(3+)-ion-doped anatase TiO(2) nanocrystals were prepared by simple wet chemical synthesis. Very sharp and intense near-infrared luminescence at approximately 1.53 microm was observed that originated from the lattice site of Er(3+) ions incorporated in TiO(2) nanocrystals. Based on the high-resolution emission and excitation spectra at 10 K, an efficient energy transfer from the TiO(2) host to Er(3+) ions was verified. The luminescence decay for the I13/24-->I15/24 transition at 1.53 microm showed nonexponential characteristics, indicating a nonradiative relaxation to the defects in the nanocrystals, and the intrinsic lifetime of the I13/24 state was determined to be 1.56 ms.