In this paper, a brief summary of different methods of fabrication of optical preform and fiber is reviewed. Several methods of incorporation of erbium ions into optical preforms are studied. Characterization of the fabricated erbium doped fibers including measurements of refractive index profile, absorption, fluorescence and gain spectra and metastable lifetime are described. It is also expressed that many of these fabrication and characterization methods are feasible to be carried out in Iran.