I am extremely confused by the fact that... you basically can't make a Google account without providing a phone number anymore, can you? The article even says as much. So what is this? In what scenario would this actually manifest?
If you have Android tablet with WLAN only connection I assume you can still create a new Google account from setup wizard without phone number. (I have not tested this)
If you have Android tablet with WLAN only connection I assume you can still create a new Google account from setup wizard without phone number. (I have not tested this)