A comprehensive review on laser diode end-pumped Er-Yb co-doped phosphate glass waveguide amplifiers is presented It consists of Er-Yb co-doped phosphate glass, structure and characteristics of optical waveguide amplifiers, etc. The combination of this good performance and potential low cost makes these amplifier devices attractive for a variety of applications including boosters, in-line, optical lossless splitters, optical CATV systems and metro networks.