Russell Beattie informed that Google has opened up signing up for GMail accounts to everyone.

When I went to check GMail I realized that the link to create a GMail account is displayed only to users connecting from US. And it is for obvious reasons. You need a valid US cellphone to open a new account. You are actually better off asking a friend for an account, like before, if you are not in US. And yes I have quite a few to spare.

Update: I have stopped sending more invites for the time being.