Optical beam steering apparatus, comprising: a splitter arranged to split an optical beam into at least a first part having a first polarisation and a second part having a second polarisation, said first and second polarisations being mutually orthogonal; a first liquid crystal device region (LCOS) arranged to receive said first part and to have director orientation aligned to said first polarisation, wherein said first liquid crystal device region (LCOS) comprises a first tunable phase profile; and a second liquid crystal device region (LCOS) arranged to receive said second part and to have director orientation aligned to said second polarisation, wherein said second liquid crystal device region (LCOS) comprises a second tunable phase profile, wherein said first and second liquid crystal regions each comprise nematic liquid crystal, and wherein said apparatus is arranged to allow polarisation-independent control of angles of first order light reflection from said first and second regions by means of controlling said first and second tunable phase profiles by applying an electric field to said first and second tunable phase profiles to rotate said directors of said first and second regions out of the plane of said first and second device regions by switching of said nematic liquid crystal of each of said first and second regions, wherein said first tunable phase profile as seen by said first polarisation of said first part is the same as said second tunable phase profile as seen by said second polarisation of said second part, wherein said first and second parts when combined are steered towards at least one selected output port corresponding to said angles of first order light reflection. a splitter arranged to split an optical beam into at least a first part having a first polarisation and a second part having a second polarisation, said first and second polarisations being mutually orthogonal; a first liquid crystal device region (LCOS) arranged to receive said first part and to have director orientation aligned to said first polarisation, wherein said first liquid crystal device region (LCOS) comprises a first tunable phase profile; and a second liquid crystal device region (LCOS) arranged to receive said second part and to have director orientation aligned to said second polarisation, wherein said second liquid crystal device region (LCOS) comprises a second tunable phase profile, wherein said first and second liquid crystal regions each comprise nematic liquid crystal, and wherein said apparatus is arranged to allow polarisation-independent control of angles of first order light reflection from said first and second regions by means of controlling said first and second tunable phase profiles by applying an electric field to said first and second tunable phase profiles to rotate said directors of said first and second regions out of the plane of said first and second device regions by switching of said nematic liquid crystal of each of said first and second regions, wherein said first tunable phase profile as seen by said first polarisation of said first part is the same as said second tunable phase profile as seen by said second polarisation of said second part, wherein said first and second parts when combined are steered towards at least one selected output port corresponding to said angles of first order light reflection.