Undoped and rare earth doped Er, Er/Yb and Er/Yb/La ZnO nanoplates were synthesized in order to study the effect of La co-doping on near infrared (NIR) emission properties of the Er ions hosted in the semiconductor. Samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Emission spectra of the La co-doped Er/Yb ZnO nanoplates showed an efficiency enhancement of Er ion emission in NIR region around 1550 nm which is a very important wavelength for optical communication technologies. The enhancement mechanism for the NIR emission is discussed in detail.